The Bonds of Blood
by Darth Marrs
Summary: YASBF Yet Another Soul Bond Fic starting with the Chamber of Secrets. Harry and Ginny have to learn to live with a bond that steals away their privacy and leaves them dependent on each other and frightened for their future.
1. The Soul Eater

**Harry Potter and the Bonds of Blood**

Yet Another Soul Bonding Fic (YASBF) by Darth Marrs

Acknowledgments: I owe a creative debt for this fic primarily to two writers. The first and foremost is Sovran for the story _The Meaning of One_, and secondly Intromit's _Harry Potter and Fate's Debt._ I say I owe them a debt because I'm essentially walking down a path they created. There will be some similarities—in fact I will have a hard time avoiding similarities—especially with Sovran's wonderful story. If I happen to have similar scenes, though, know that it's because those two authors got it right the first time, and I'm just struggling behind them in the hopes that I'll be able to add my own voice to the fanfic chorus. If you haven't already read those stories, I urge you to do so.

This story is AU from the moment Harry kills the basilisk.

* * *

**Harry Potter and the Bonds of Blood**

"_So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted…. I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets." – Tom Riddle, __The Chamber of Secrets_

**Chapter One: The Soul Eater**

_If this is dying_, thought Harry Potter, _it's not so bad._ The poison of the basilisk was searing up his arm even while the weight of it pulled his eye lids and his mind down into darkness.

For one brief moment, Harry considered his twelve years of life up to that point. He dwelled on every moment of pain and sorrow he experienced. He remembered vividly the leering grin on his uncle's face the first time he was told his parents were drunken louts who died in a car wreck. He remembered running in terror from Dudley and his friends during their Harry-Hunting expeditions.

There were brief moments of joy, but they were all just in the past two years. Hagrid coming to get him; making his first true friends with Ron and Hermione. Making the quidditch team. But as his young mind sorted through all the instances and memories he possessed, his one passing thought was of deep sorrow that he had not had more joy in his life.

Harry felt no bitterness. He did not blame anyone, though there was blame aplenty. Rather, he was simply sad that he had not had more happiness. More love.

Suddenly everything came back into focus. Harry shook his head and looked down to see Fawkes on his arm, the bird's eyes still glistening with magical tears. He stared down in shock to see the fang wound on his arm was gone.

"Get away, bird!" Riddle's voice was saying. The nearly solid form of the teenage Tom Riddle was holding Harry's wand, but Harry ignored him.

Everything in the Chamber of Secrets had a strange, unearthly glow to it. Nearby the now dead body of the basilisk glowed a bright green color. He heard Riddle speaking still, and the beautiful trilling of the phoenix, and a moment later the diary of Riddle fell to the floor before him. Like everything it had an aura around it—a blackened glow like darkness made visible.

From the diary, he could see a thin line of that darkness trailing over to the prone, pale form of Ginny Weasley.

Ginny.

There was no conscious thought. No deliberation or judgment. Harry's body moved seemingly of its own accord as he grabbed the basilisk fang by its long root, swung it over his head, and thrust it into the middle of the book like a dagger. Ink like blood poured from the book as the shade of Tom Riddle screamed in rage and pain nearby.

The thin tether of darkness retreated quickly into the book, but in so doing pulled an equal tether of red from Ginny. Even in her unconscious state she moaned in pain as the dark magic pulled her life force out of her.

Even amidst his screaming, Tom Riddle's face took on a look of determination and rage. The blackened tether pulled harder, and for one strange second it seemed to Harry's eyes as if Ginny was pulled completely from her body.

Tom Riddle was trying to finish the consumption of Ginny's soul to save himself.

"No!" Harry called. Unthinkingly, he jumped onto Ginny and grasped with his magic at her soul. Where her soul was weakened and red, his magic appeared vibrant and green, but wholly untested. He felt the darkness of the diary burning the edges of his magic and soul, but he winced and did not step back. He and Ron had come so far; he had come so far to save this girl, he was not going to lose her now.

Still the pull continued. His wild and still uncontrolled magic wasn't enough. "I won't let you have her!" he growled. He reached out with more than just his magic. He reached out with his very _essence_. He didn't know how he did what he did, only that he had to.

Green light entwined the red in a tight grip the darkness could not fight. The brilliant twirl of soul energy pulled back abruptly as the darkness in the diary died.

On the other side of the two kids Tom Riddle disappeared with one final cry.

Suddenly the twirling red and green mass of energy snapped back into the entwined bodies of Harry and Ginny with such force and violence Harry screamed and Ginny moaned in agony.

Then all sound faded as Harry's head collapsed onto her shoulder.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

A red-headed man sits in an old rocking chair held together by paint, love and magic. A young girl sits on his lap.

_Another Harry Potter story, Pumpkin? Don't you want to hear about the Bulbous Bards of Beckensale? Or the Yelping Yipper of York?_

_Daddy! Tell me about Harry Potter._

_You know he's probably nothing like the stories, Pumpkin._

_I know. He's probably very sad his Mum and Dad died. But someday I'll meet him and I'll make it all better._

/o\/o\/o\/o\

A vicious, red-faced man leans over a five year old boy who has tears streaming down his face. The man is talking with a leering smile while behind him another, much larger by snickers.

_Your parents were thieves and drunkards. They crashed their car and died just like all thieves and drunkards should. You don't know how lucky you are boy to be in this house. You're nothing but the useless whelp of two useless pieces of filth, and I have no doubt you'll end up just the same—drunk and in jail, or dead like them._

/o\/o\/o\/o\

A large group of people stands around a table laughing and playing. The sign over their heads announces: _Happy Birthday, Ginny_! A matronly woman stands next to a girl with a forced smile.

_I know you wanted that new jumper, sweetie, but this one will work just fine for you. _

_It's okay, mom. It looks really nice. It'll work just fine._

/o\/o\/o\/o\

The red-faced man again. He is drunk. On the floor below him sits a young boy with messy black hair, old glasses and a bruise on his cheek. Nearby stands the much larger boy with a toy car clenched in his fat fist, while his other fist looks ready to hit again.

_Birthday? Do I look like I bloody care that it's your birthday too? Do you honestly think I would waste my hard-earned money on useless trash like you? You don't deserve a birthday present. I should whip you into next week for even thinking like that, you little brat!_

/o\/o\/o\/o\

_What's happening?_

_I don't know. I don't know anything. Who am….?_

_Who are…?_

_What…?_

_Ginny._

_Harry._

_I can feel you. I don't understand. Who are…?_

/o\/o\/o\/o\

A boy with a tangle of dark hair stands on the doorstop of Ms. Fig's house as his family drives away to vacation. In the back, the now tubby boy waves with one finger up.

A young girl smiles and laughs and hugs her loving family for the gifts she receives for Christmas, but afterward in her room looks over the used articles of clothing given to her and weeps softly.

A boy with school-issued glasses repaired only with tape cries as the larger boy and his equally large friends kick him and hit him while nearby the larger boy's mother ignores the whole scene and works in her garden.

A young girl laughs joyously on a secretly borrowed broom for the very first time. She soars through the air under the light of a full moon with long red hair trailing behind her. The world is so beautiful she weeps in happiness for being above it.

_Harry, I'm scared. I don't understand what is happening._

_I don't either. But I don't want…_

…_it to stop._

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Molly Weasley jumped as a ball of flame erupted in the middle of Headmaster Dumbledore's office. The flame was replaced an instant later by a beautiful phoenix with newly reborn plumage.

The wondrous creature soared through the office and landed directly on Dumbledore's shoulder. It began trilling an urgent, hopeful song. Dumbledore listened attentively before he nodded and stood. "Fawkes has found them. Come, hurry now!"

Molly looked at her husband, and Arthur stared back with a determined smile. The two stood and followed the headmaster down the stairs of his tower and into the castle proper. He led them on a circuitous route through the familiar hallways until they arrived at a girl's bathroom.

"So it's true," Dumbledore whispered. He, like the Weasleys, stared at the now opened stairwell that led down into the chamber of secrets. "It truly has been opened."

A short time later they encountered Ron and the confused countenance of Professor Lockhart. "Hello, old chap!" the professor said gaily to the headmaster. "What a fine robe that is. Who are you, now?"

Dumbledore looked over at the youngest Weasley boy. "He tried to obliviate Harry 'n me," Ron said with a shrug. "Used my broken wand and backfired on him."

"Where's Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Ron pointed at the pile of rocks that blocked the cavern. "He went ahead to try and save Ginny."

All three Weasleys watched as the ancient wizard removed several tons of rubble with a casual flick of his wand, and moments later they were running through the caverns into the Chamber of Secrets.

"Merlin's beard!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Wicked!" Ron said.

Molly simply cried out in horror when she saw the massive basilisk lying dead on the ground, and not twenty feet away, a pile of unmoving Hogwarts student robes. "My baby!" She sprinted down the long hall, ignoring everything else as her eyes locked on the strands of red hair she could see from the center of the bundle.

She arrived but slowed in confusion. "Harry Potter?" she whispered. Harry was laying on her little girl, his head on her shoulder and his hand reached out toward a blackened book. Nearby she saw the glint of a sword on the floor and Harry's wand.

The boy's other arm was covered in blood and grime and she saw a rip in his robes as if something had stabbed him, though she could not see any blemishes on his arm.

She knelt down as the others arrived. "What happened here?" Arthur Weasley said. He pointed at the fearsome beast. "Albus, what is…"

"A basilisk, as we feared," Dumbledore said. He looked down at the two children and then knelt next to them opposite Molly. With hands that proved stronger than their appearance, he gently rolled Harry off of Ginny. "They're both alive," Dumbledore said.

As the two children separated, both suddenly arched their backs and cried out in obvious pain. Molly looked up at the headmaster in panic. "Albus…what is happening?"

Ginny turned away from her mother and reached out blindly, her eyes still closed, until she grabbed at Harry's chest. At the same time, he rolled away from Dumbledore until his arm found her shoulder. Eyes still closed, seemingly still in their sleep, the two pulled each other into an embrace.

"How very cute!" Professor Lockhart said happily. "A little young for passionate embraces, though, wouldn't you say?"

"Ginny, dearest, we need to leave this awful place," Molly said as she pulled her daughter out of the embrace. The moment Ginny and Harry broke contact, the first-year started convulsing again.

Still on the ground, Harry cried out and went into equally strong convulsions. "Arthur, help me!" Molly said in terror as her daughter's thrashing caused both to fall backward.

Her husband rushed to her side to try and restrain Ginny while Dumbledore fought to hold Harry down. The old wizard's face darkened. "Molly!" he said. "Let her go!"

"What?"

"Harry!" Ginny Weasley's desperate cry rang through chamber. Molly screamed and Arthur flew back as a flash of wild accidental magic surrounded Ginny.

The flash erupted next to the headmaster, and the sheer power of it sent the elderly wizard spinning away. He scrambled away with surprising dexterity and clambered back to his feet with his wand in hand.

Across from him, Albus watched as Molly rose and Arthur picked himself up off the wet floor of the chamber. The two drifted together and stared down at the floor in confusion and fear. Albus let his eyes also drift down, his brow furrowing in thought and concern.

Between the two adults lay Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, both seemingly unconscious, both tightly wrapped in an embrace.

"Well, that was unusual," Lockhart announced. "Say, I'm hungry. Is there somewhere around here we can eat?"

* * *

sp

**Author's Further Notes**: As you can see, I'm not exactly reinventing the wheel here. I know this has been done before. My goal is to take a look at what it would really mean to have a soul bond with someone in terms of how they interact with themselves and others. I have no illusions about originality, since I've read and enjoyed other soul bond fics myself.

Posting will be erratic. Also, I've had the entire 3rd year (the first of this fic) done for a while but have hesitated to post for a couple of reasons. 1) It does bear some similarity to Sovran's fic; and 2) I cannot guarantee that I will finish it. I'm not sure I want to rewrite five books worth of story. However, I can say that the story is done through at least one year with a good start on year four. So, we'll see where it goes. Please also note the rating which is for frank discussions of sex and for the changing relationship as the two enter their teen years.

Thanks for reading.

Darth Marrs


	2. Potty and Bath Time

**Chapter Two: Potty and Bath Time  
**

Madam Poppy Pomphrey stared at the two children with open consternation. "I understand they may have undergone a traumatic event, but this is unseemly," she told the headmaster. "I can't do a proper examination of either one of them until they are separated."

"You can try to separate them, Poppy," Dumbledore said with what, even to the mediwitch, seemed an odd twinkle in his eye. "However, I very much doubt you will have any more success that Miss Weasley's parents or myself."

Pomphrey stared. "You were unable to separate them? What happened when you tried?"

Nearby, Molly hugged herself. "They both started convulsing. She cried for Harry and then…"

"She appears to have apparated back to Mr. Potter," Albus said. "With accidental magic. The backlash was sufficient to toss this old man to the ground."

"Apparated? With accidental magic? Albus, do you know how preposterous that sounds?"

"Please just examine them, Poppy."

With a shake of her head, the mediwitch began whispering her diagnostic charms as she ran her wand over them. She shook her head and repeated the spell. With a glance up at the worried adults in the room, she leaned closer and ran her wand across Ginny's back, before stepping around the bed to do the same.

"Poppy, what is it?" Molly asked with terror in her voice.

The mediwitch merely shook her head and continued with her examination. Whatever she was looking for, the basic diagnostic charms did not work. She began chanting a more complex chain of words in Greek and ran over the two with her wand. A dome of scintillating colors formed over the children. The dome was a mix of warm reds and bright greens that seemed to swirl around each other.

Staring at the odd mix of colors, the experienced mediwitch visibly paled.

Finally, she made a point of looking across the room where Gilderoy Lockhart was happily shoveling pudding into his mouth while chatting away to Professor McGonagall about how pretty the windows were. McGonagall, however, was staring resolutely at the party examining her students.

"Albus, what happened down there?" Pomphrey finally asked.

"We're not entirely sure," the headmaster said. "Please, tell us what you have found?"

"Albus, I can't…" She paused and took a breath. "My charms are telling me there is only one child on that bed."

Molly paled the color of bone while her hand shot to her mouth. "My baby…" she whispered. "You mean she's…"

"What charm are you using, Poppy?"

"The _Ti Esti_ charm," Poppy said.

"Try the _Ousia_ charm."

"They're almost the same thing."

"Humor me," Albus said.

With a furrow of doubt on her brow, Pomphrey leaned back over the children. The dome appeared over them again, though this time the colors had more definition and a more identifiable pattern. It looked almost like an Asiatic _yingyang_ symbol—the swirls of red and green merged into each other.

"Merlin's beard," the mediwitch said. "I've never seen the like. I've never even heard the like."

"Sadly, I have," Dumbledore said. "But not like this."

"I don't understand what is happening!" Molly announced. "Albus, please, tell me what is wrong with my little girl?"

"Somehow," Dumbledore said, "a portion of your daughter's soul has been severed."

Her eyes watered as she sagged into her husband. "Severed?"

"The Ousia charm is an ancient soul-illumination charm. You saw the results. The severed portion of Ginny's soul now resides in Harry Potter. Just as a portion of Harry's soul now resides in Miss Weasley."

Arthur, though, had latched onto something the headmaster said earlier. "You say you've seen something like this before?"

"Similar, but not like this. What I know of is based on the deepest, most horrific dark magic. But I sense no darkness here. I'm afraid until they wake, we will not know for sure exactly what happened. Or what the consequences will be."

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Two sets of eyes opened at the same time. Warm brown opened an inch from bright green. Two pairs of noses flared as they smelled the breath of the other. Otherwise, neither moved at all.

"I…" Ginny started. _I feel different_. She did not speak aloud, for fear of how it would sound.

_I do too._

She froze, eyes wide. "That was you," she whispered.

Harry nodded. "I heard you," he whispered back.

_You can hear me?_

_Yes._

_I saw your relatives,_ she said. _They are so mean to you._

_I saw you too. You wanted your father to tell you stories about me._

Ginny's face flushed, and she watched silently as blood flooded Harry's cheeks as well.

"I thought it was nice," he whispered with a sad, shy smile. "At least someone was thinking about me."

She felt his sorrow like a stab through her heart. The sob erupted before she could even try to control herself. She pulled him closer, her cheek to his, and cried for the pain he felt, and the joy he never had.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Molly was the first to hear quiet words exchanged from the bed. She was walking back from the faculty lounge with a cup of tea when she heard her daughter. She ran forward and ignored the sting of the hot tea sloshing on her hand.

She arrived to see her daughter—her eleven year old daughter—hugging Harry Potter with tears in her eyes. "Ginny!" Molly cried.

Ginny looked up from Harry. "Mum!" she cried.

She jumped from the bed to hug her mother, but then collapsed with a gasp of pain. Molly went down with her, calling for help.

Harry, on the bed, gasped as well and curled into a fetal position, as if struck in the stomach. "What is this?" he cried.

Suddenly Pomphrey was there with Dumbledore a step behind. The mediwitch immediately started running her wand over the two students, but Ginny did not sit still. Staggering in pain, she pulled out of Molly's desperate embrace and reached back for the bed just as Harry reached for her. As soon as their fingers locked together, their faces relaxed as the pain instantly stopped.

Still breathing hard from the memory of the pain, the two students stared at each other before turning to the adults. "What is this?" they asked at the same exact moment, in the same exact tone, like one person speaking through two mouths.

Molly looked up in alarm and watched as Dumbledore raised his wand, and with a few flicks of his wrist it, created a muffling privacy spell. "Now, let's get comfortable, shall we?" the headmaster said. "I suspect this is going to be an interesting conversation."

"It's not Ginny's fault!" Harry said before Molly could even climb back to her feet.

Dumbledore blinked owlishly behind his spectacles before he smiled. "There is no fault here, Harry. I rather suspect there is much to credit, but nothing to fault. Please, can you tell us what happened?"

Molly summoned a chair from across the room and settled herself in to listen as Harry told them everything—from the voice he heard in the walls, to the note crumpled up in Hermione's petrified hand. Midway through the conversation, however, something odd happened.

Harry's point of view shifted.

"…so she stole the book back. She didn't have any control. It felt like she was stuck in her own head, having to watch all the things he made her do. And he wouldn't let her tell anyone. He made her go down into the chamber, and he started to drain her soul. He was going to come back to life using her soul."

"But then Harry came," Ginny suddenly took over as seamlessly as if they had rehearsed it. "He tried to wake me up, but he couldn't. Then the basilisk came, but Fawkes clawed its eyes out. Harry ran to try and lead it away from me, but when he came back Fawkes appeared with the sorting hat. He saw something in it, and when he reached in he found a sword. There was a sword in the sorting hat! He pulled it out and he fought the basilisk. It was brilliant and scary. But every time he got scared or wanted to run, he looked at me and knew he had to try. And he did…but the monster bit him in the arm when he killed it. We thought we were going to die…"

Molly sucked in a breath, but Ginny did not stop. Both of them sat on their bed, eyes glazed and looking into the distance of memory none of the adults could imagine.

"…but then Fawkes came one last time," Ginny said. "He cried on Harry's arm and the wound healed. That's when Harry grabbed the basilisk fang and stabbed the book."

Harry assumed the story seamlessly. "The book was dying and Voldemort's shade was going with it, but something changed in me. I could see all these…"

"…auras," Ginny said. "And he saw the book was pulling something out of me. We think it was…"

"…her soul," Harry continued. "It was pulling her soul. Voldemort was crying in pain, but he was staring at the book. And somehow I knew he was trying to eat her soul to be whole again, even with the book dying."

"Harry jumped on me," Ginny spoke softly now, her gaze growing more distant.

"Ginny was feeling so cold," Harry said, also soft. "She could feel her life being sucked out but she couldn't stop it."

"Harry tried to stop the book with his magic…"

"…but it wasn't enough. We reached…"

"…with something more…"

"…and it came back to us together," the finished in unison, barely audible to the adults around them.

When they finished speaking, Molly realized she wasn't breathing. She patted her own chest, forced a breath, and wished for the hundredth time that her husband did not have to go to work that day.

"Albus, what does this mean?" she finally asked.

The old wizard was staring intently at the two students on the bed, who sat staring into space while desperately holding hands. "It means, dear Molly, that Harry and Ginny are, for all intents and purposes, soul-bonded."

Harry continued to stare into space, though Ginny looked up in surprise. It seemed as if her attention was a pull on Harry, for after a moment he looked up too. "What's a soul bond?" Harry asked.

"A myth, supposedly," Dumbledore said. "But myth or not, the two of you now share a remarkable link."

"Why can't we let go of each other?" Ginny asked. She shuffled on the bed, and next to her Harry blushed.

"I imagine it is temporary," Dumbledore said. Ginny shifted again, looking uncomfortable. "The bonds are newly formed and until they heal, it will likely be…Miss Weasley, are you quite alright?"

"She needs to pee," Harry said with cheeks so red he looked as if his face were about to start bleeding.

"_Harry_!" Ginny hissed.

"Well you do!" Harry said. "You need to go so bad now I have to pee."

"Oh dear," Dumbledore said. "That does present an interesting problem."

"Come on, then," Pomphrey said. "We'll just put up a curtain."

"You mean I'm going to have to go in front of a boy!" Ginny whispered. She looked as if she would rather face the basilisk.

"We'll think of something," the mediwitch assured them. "Come on, both of you."

The two stood, still holding hands, and followed Pomphrey to the nearest bathroom. When they were gone, Molly slumped in her chair. "Merlin's beard, Albus, did you hear the way they were talking? I know about wedding bonds, but nothing like this. Not even the twins talk like that."

"I would hope not," Dumbledore said softly. "Their souls are so deeply entwined that they are in essence one soul sharing two bodies. There has never been an instance like this in the annals of magic. So naturally, it would have to happen to Harry Potter." The old wizard chuckled.

"This is no laughing matter!" Molly snapped as grief transformed to anger. "He can't be holding my daughter's hand all the time!"

"That is most likely a temporary effect," Albus tried to assure her. "We'll keep them here until it fades. I know this is difficult for you, Molly, and I certainly don't mean to make light of it. But I also wish you to consider what those two children have been through. I shudder to think of what could have happened, and I am so very proud of what did happen."

"What do you mean?" Molly said, growing angrier.

"Don't you see, Molly? Harry gave of his very soul to save your daughter. He showed courage beyond doubt in fighting the basilisk, intellect in destroying that cursed book, but he also showed utter, selfless love in giving of his own life, his own essence, to save a girl he hardly knew. I ask you, Molly, of all the people for this to happen to with your daughter, would you not rather it be Harry?"

Molly blinked and settled back, thinking.

"Of course, this does present some issues for thought regarding this summer," Dumbledore said. "I know you and your husband have met the Dursleys. I will be the first to admit they are not very good muggles, but the protections afforded by a blood relative are too great to do without. Because of who he is, there is still a danger."

A moment later two very red-faced children came marching back to their bed. They were still holding hands, but did not appear very happy to be doing so. They were arguing as they came. "…wash your hands."

"Hard to do when we can't let go!"

"I got mine washed."

"Well good on you! I did my best!"

Behind them, Pomphrey was shaking her head. "The soul bond has obviously not made them affectionate," she said when they arrived back in the circle of privacy.

Both students turned and stared at her, aghast. "Affectionate?" they said, again in unison.

"The closest we can compare what you have, Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter, would be to the marriage bond," Dumbledore explained. "That is the magical joining of two people in an effort to cement their love and physical affection for each other. Think of it as a type of empathy enhancing spell."

"Empathy?" Harry asked, confused.

"Love?" Ginny whispered, pale.

"Physical affection?" Harry whispered, even paler.

"Eeeewww!" they said together. They looked at each other, blushed violently, and then turned back to Dumbledore. "Isn't there something you can do to fix this?" Harry pleaded. "How can we take baths or get dressed if we can't let go of each other?"

Evidently they were having a series of mental images because both of them were blanching and flushing in strange patterns. Ginny even looked as if she were about to faint.

"As I have said," Dumbledore assured them, "the effect will wear off. But if you really want to achieve the desired effect, I suggest you start practicing now."

"Practicing?" Harry asked.

"He means letting go," Ginny said.

"Well, yeah…"

"Then why did you ask? I know you understood what he meant."

"Would you just get out of…"

"I wouldn't be there if you hadn't….yes I know!"

"….life or anything…."

"….scared and you're just…don't even think that….!"

The three adults stared as Harry and Ginny tore into each other in what was possibly the strangest argument anyone had ever heard. They stopped completing sentences. In fact, it eventually just came down to words shouted as expletives or for emphasis of whatever conversation was going on between them.

It ended with Ginny ripping her hand out of Harry's and both of them crying in pain.

"Perhaps a pain potion might be of some assistance," Dumbledore suggested.

Pomphrey nodded curtly, and a moment later returned with two vials of potion. She poured one vial down each throat. When they swallowed, the two kids shared a long look and the adults realized they were speaking again.

The two of them sat cross-legged on the bed across from each other, both hands clasped. Each took a long breath, and let go of their hands.

The pain potion helped in that both let out gasps of pain but did not convulse, but they brought their hands together as soon as they could. They waited a moment, holding hands tightly, before they did it again.

They seemed oblivious to the rest of the world. Dumbledore rose and motioned for Molly and Pomphrey to follow. "This is going to be a problem," he said as the three walked toward his office. The castle seemed quiet, though this had more to do with all the other students being in class that morning than anything else. "They will most likely be able to gain a certain amount of independence, but it would not surprise me if they also continue to require a certain amount of physical contact every day. This will appear strange to most of their classmates. Additionally, I'm not sure it would be wise for this to be widely known."

"It is embarrassing," Molly said.

"Dear lady, I think you misunderstand," Dumbledore said. "In just two years at this school, Harry has been threatened by Voldemort twice. I also know his servants were never all accounted for. There is a reason why I make Mr. Potter stay with the Dursleys even though he is unhappy there. Harry is a target, Molly. And if it becomes common knowledge that Miss Weasley is tied to him, I'm afraid she might become a target as well."

Molly blanched, and then took a long, shuddering breath. "Oh Albus, what are we going to do?"

"We are going to ponder our options at great length," the venerable old wizard said. "And then we will do what we must to protect the children. In the meantime, I have a meeting with a representative of the Board of Governors regarding a little black book."

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Hands hung an inch from each other while two young faces scrunched in pain. They held it and held it further, until at last they intertwined their fingers.

"I really hate this," Ginny muttered.

"Not too happy either," Harry said.

They gritted their teeth and pulled apart. They managed to last almost twenty seconds this time before they grabbed hands.

"Harry?" Ginny said. She stopped.

He looked at her a long moment, and smiled. "You're welcome."

She nodded, and smiled back. Then both gritted their teeth and pulled apart. They lasted 34 seconds.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Arthur Weasley arrived at Hogwarts just after work and went straight to the hospital wing.

He noticed immediately that Lockhart was gone, having been transferred to St. Mungos. He also noticed that the bed where Ginny and Harry were recuperating was empty. The sheets were changed, but the bedding was turned down as if anticipating an occupant.

It was the sound of angry voices and running water that guided Arthur to the lavatory. There he found Harry Potter sitting on a chair with his eyes squeezed shut behind his glasses, while he stuck his hand through a white partition. Silhouetted against the partition was the shape of a bath tub with a head just visible, and the larger hunched form of a woman.

Harry looked up at Arthur, and from behind the curtain, though she could not possibly have seen him, Ginny cried out, "Dad!"

"Hello, Harry," Arthur said.

"Hi, Dad!" Ginny called over the curtain.

Harry paled. "Ginny, look up!" he said.

"Stop looking…."

"…it's not me…"

"….care who's…."

Arthur stood rooted to the ground as his daughter and the boy who saved her life launched into an argument of half-phrases and single words.

Finally, Harry looked as if he were on the verge of tears, and on the other side Arthur could tell by the occasional sounds that Ginny was crying. "This is really hard," Harry finally said. His voice shook.

Momentarily speechless, Arthur instead pulled up a chair and sat next to Harry. "I'm sorry this happened to you," he said. "But that said…" He took Harry's hand. "You saved my little girl, Harry. You saved my Pumpkin. No matter what happens from now on, you will always be loved by this family."

Harry's eyes glistened, and on the other side of the curtain, Ginny sobbed louder.

"Even if I can see your daughter in the bathtub?" Harry said. His cheeks were glowing.

"Harry!" Ginny said.

"You keep looking down at yourself!" Harry answered back over her shoulder. "If you don't want me to see, close your eyes!"

"I can't bathe myself with my eyes closed!"

Arthur's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"You just wait 'till it's your turn," Ginny snapped back.

"I'm going to take my glasses off," Harry snapped back.

"You're eyesight isn't that bad close-up."

Harry sighed and looked back to Mr. Weasley. "I'm sorry," he said weakly.

Just then Molly stepped around the curtain, looking flustered. It was obvious to both parents that Harry was mortified by what was happening. In a way, it was a relief that he wasn't taking any perverse pleasure in it. But still…

"It's all right," Arthur said. "We're going to get through this. Together."

Harry stared at the Weasley patriarch with something approaching adoration. "Thank you, sir."

He stood abruptly, and only then did Arthur see the silhouette of his daughter standing from the bath. Molly stepped back around and helped her dry herself.

Then the two children let go. Harry's face immediately scrunched into an expression of pain, and he started counting. He was up to eighty when a robed Ginny ran around the corner with tears beading in her eyes and the two slammed into a desperate hug.

"That was better," Molly said with forced cheer. "Almost a minute and a half."

Arthur looked up in surprise.

"They're practicing not touching," his wife explained.

"Does come in handy for bath time, doesn't it?" Arthur noted.

"Not when we see through each other's eyes," Ginny muttered darkly.

"Alright, are we ready?" Molly asked Harry.

The boy paled. "I've been bathing myself since I was two," he said. "I'll manage one-handed."

"Since you were two?" Molly asked. "That's just…

"The Dursleys," Ginny finished. "His aunt didn't want to be bothered."

Harry calmly removed his glasses and handed them to Molly with a smile of thanks. Then, he and Ginny each took a deep breath before they let go and Harry ducked behind the partition while quickly stripping out of his dirty and tattered school robes.

A moment later, Ginny stuck her hand through the slit in the partition and they could see Harry take it; Ginny sighed in relief.

Arthur watched with interest as Ginny closed her eyes, but whatever effect she wanted was not what she achieved and she burned bright red. "Harry, look up please," she called.

"Sorry!"


	3. Life Goes On

**Chapter Three: Life Goes On**

"You touched my bum!"

Arthur sat up groggily and looked over at the bed his eleven-year-old daughter was sharing with a boy.

"Did not!" he heard Harry whisper. Then, a second later, "Didn't mean to. Sorry."

Arthur drifted back to sleep, only to be woken a few minutes later. "Owe, put some socks on, Ginny! You're feet are like ice cubes!"

"You should talk!" Ginny snapped back.

Arthur fell still, listening. He heard "arse", "idiot," "brat" and a few other words thrown in haphazardly, but without any context he could not understand what they were saying.

Finally, Mr. Weasley climbed out of the bed he was using so that one of the family was with the kids, and with his wand moved an adjoining bed to that used by Harry and Ginny. The two were wide awake and watching him intently.

"There," Arthur said with the edgy calm caused by being woken continuously in the middle of the night. "You each have your own mattress. Just hold hands, but spread out. You'll both sleep better for it."

"Thanks, Dad," Ginny said.

Harry nodded.

"Now sleep," Arthur ordered before he collapsed back into his own bed. A moment later, he was snoring.

Harry snored loudly too, and on the mattress next to him, Ginny snorted with laughter. "_Harry_!" she said between snorts.

When Arthur woke the next morning, he climbed out of his bed and started for the bathroom to get ready for work. He stopped halfway there, and walked back to the beds where his daughter was.

Harry and Ginny both lay on their sides, spooning together on their original mattress. Ginny fit perfectly into the contour of Harry, and his arm rested protectively over her stomach. His face was buried in the mass of her red hair.

His daughter's face was so utterly at peace that she looked to her father to be more beautiful than he had ever seen her. For all their bickering last night, for them to end up like this, and to look so completely at peace…

For the first time since learning that his daughter's life was in danger, Arthur felt his eyes watering a little. He wasn't entirely sure why, though, and so continued on toward the guest loo to get ready for work.

Half an hour after Mr. Weasley was gone, Ginny's eyes popped open. "Harry, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Dunno," came a response muffled by her hair.

"You're holding me."

"'Kay."

"Wake up, Harry, and get your arm off me!"

"'Kay." He still wasn't awake, but he lifted his arm off her shoulder and she rolled away. The jolt of pain brought both of them fully away, but neither of them moved. Instead, they sat up and stared at each other without touching.

There was pain, but it was like a mild headache rather than the sharp, stabbing pain they felt the day before.

"I can live with this," Ginny said.

"I can too," Harry agreed, now fully awake.

Madame Pomphrey made her morning rounds and saw the two of them staring at each other without touchingand without intense expressions of pain. "Good morning," she said primly.

The two started and stared at her. "Morning," they said weakly.

"How are we feeling?"

"It doesn't hurt as much to let go," Harry said. "It's been twenty minutes and it's not getting any worse."

"That's great news!" Pomphrey said. "Let's see how long this can go, then. I do not want you to touch at all, do you understand?"

"Oh yes," Harry said fervently. Ginny nodded her head.

Sometime later that morning, after Arthur and Molly had switched shifts, Madame Pomphrey allowed students in to visit. The first was Ron, who was so relieved to see his best mate and sister alive and well he almost cried.

Neville, Seamus and Dean came by for a visit with Harry, while several of the first year Gryffindors also came by for a visit with Ginny. Hermione they knew was still receiving the treatments to undo being petrified.

The last to visit that morning was a young Ravenclaw Harry had never seen, having missed the sorting that year.

She walked up to their beds and simply stared at them. She was a waif of a girl with long, almost unkempt white-blonde hair and the palest eyes Harry had ever seen. "Hello, Luna," Ginny said. "This is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Luna Lovegood."

"Hello, Harry," she said in a rather abrupt manner. She then looked at Ginny. "I wish you had told me you were going to get married. I would rather have liked to have seen that."

"We're not married," Ginny said in a rush.

"Yes you are," Luna said. Nearby, Molly had jumped to her feet.

"Luna, dear! How very good to see you," the Weasley matriarch said. "How is your father?"

"He's not married," Luna said. "Did you know Ginny was going to get married? I know she always fancied Harry, but eleven seems a young age to get married. Of course, I had a dream when I was seven about getting married. Actually, it was a dream I married you, Harry, and my mother never died and we were very happy together. You combed my hair every day and we had wonderful adventures."

Molly, Ginny and Harry stared at the girl. She stared right back with a strangely vacant smile. Finally, Ginny growled, "We're not married."

Luna shrugged. "But you are. I can see the bond."

Ginny looked at Molly. "Mum," she whined, "what does she mean?"

"Luna, thank you so much for visiting," Molly said as she walked the small girl out. "Please let your father know we're thinking of him."

"I will," Luna said in an airy, distant voice. "Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. I assume they will wait a few years to give you grandchildren. Maybe Harry can comb Ginny's hair for her. I bet he would be very good at combing her hair."

Molly choked a little. "Yes, I'm sure. Thank you again for coming."

When she had the girl safely out of the hospital wing, Molly walked with some trepidation back to the two beds where her daughter and Harry waited. While she was pleased to see they were not holding hands, they were most definitely staring at her.

"Luna's always been a bit strange," Ginny said. "But she's one of the smartest girls I've ever met, and she never misses anything. What did she mean by that, Mum?"

"I don't know," Molly said. "I'm sure she was just confused, that's all. You do have a bond, you know. Maybe somehow she could sense the bond and just assumed it was a marriage bond. But I'd not worry about it too much."

That afternoon, Professor Dumbledore made his way into the hospital wing with Author to visit them. "I understand you have gone the whole day without touching," he said.

The adults could not help but notice the drawn looks on the kid's faces. Both had dark rings under their eyes.

"Are you in pain?" Dumbledore asked.

"It hurts," Ginny admitted.

Harry merely shrugged. "It's a little irritating, not that bad."

"It hurts," Ginny said again. "He's just used to being hurt."

"Ron hasn't said he gets hurt that often," Mr. Weasley said.

Harry looked down at his feet and Ginny glared at him with pursed lips. "I'm not talking about here at school."

Harry did not look up, but Ginny's cheeks suddenly flushed and she turned to glare back at him. "Well they do!"

"Somebody has to know…"

"Not my fault…."

This was the first time they had witnessed one of the arguments when only one of them spoke aloud. Finally, Ginny huffed, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin. "Harry doesn't want me to tell you, but his Muggle family hurts him all the time."

Dumbledore went very, very still. Molly's hand went to her chest and Author's face reddened. "What do you mean?" Arthur said carefully.

"They hit him," Ginny said. "They don't feed him enough. Sometimes they only feed him once a day. They make him do all their cooking but they won't let him eat it. They make him work all day. He lived IN A CUPBOARD! But he doesn't want me to talk about it because he's used to pain. But I'm not, so yes, it hurts."

She fell silent, and by then was flushed with either anger or pain; none of the adults could tell. Harry, for his part, was bent over his crossed legs until his forehead rested against the bedsheets.

"Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "Is this true?"

When he sat up, they all saw his face flushed a furious red, his brows drawn together and his lips set in an angry line. Ginny refused to look at him, her chin up and her own lips set in a perfect imitation of his. "It doesn't matter," he said.

"Ron and twins said there were bars on Harry's window last summer," Arthur said. "I was inclined to believe they were hoodwinking me, but now I'm not…"

"The muggles were trying to keep him from getting any owlposts," Ginny said. "They think we're all freaks and they were hoping to beat the magic out of Harry."

Suddenly Harry turned to her and screamed. "Would you just shut up? It's none of your business! Get out of my head!" He jumped from the bed and ran down the length of the hospital wing and out into the hall before any of them could respond.

As soon as he was out of sight, Ginny's angry resolve melted and she bent over crying. Her parents were by her side, but she seemed inconsolable. "They treated him so bad," she said. "They hate him and they treat him so bad." She looked up at Dumbledore, and suddenly the grief turned into childish rage. "How could you do that to him? How could you let him stay with those…those…" She wracked her brain for the worst word she could come up with. "Bastards!"

"Ginny!" Molly gasped.

Dumbledore, however, merely sat and stared down at the distraught girl. "Is it truly so bad for him?" he whispered.

She nodded, still sobbing. "He won't tell anybody. He's used to it. Why should a twelve-year-old boy be used to pain like that? Why should he be used to people hating him and treating him like that? Being connected like this hurts because all his memories are of hurting. They've never hugged him. Never." The sobbing erupted into full blown gales of grief and she buried herself into her mother's arms.

With a nod at Arthur, Dumbledore excused himself and left the wing. A gentle inquiry of the portraits found that Harry was not in the Gryffindor tower. From his own distant observations, he had a suspicion of where else Harry would be.

The rest of the students were in the Great Hall for the evening feast. Hence the castle was nearly empty as Dumbledore climbed up a tower to the owlry.

There he found Harry, sitting cross-legged on the flagstones with Hedwig in his lap. He was gently petting the large owl while tears very quietly ran down his cheeks. He did not look up as Dumbledore gently sat himself down on the floor.

"Miss Weasley is quite upset," he said.

"I know," Harry said.

"Yes, I imagine you do. I cannot, however, imagine that you meant to hurt her."

"It's none of her business," he said. "It's no one's business."

Dumbledore stared at the school owls for the longest time. "I met your Aunt Petunia when she was nine years old. It was right after your mother's eleventh birthday," he said. "Normally, when a muggle-born student becomes eligible for Hogwarts, we send a staff-member out to speak to them. It is usually quite an adjustment for muggle parents to learn their daughter is a witch. Normally, this would have been either Professor Flitwick or Professor McGonagall, but we had several that year, so Miss Evans fell to me."

"Did my grandparents flip out?"

"Quite the contrary," Dumbledore said. "They were amazed and pleased that their eldest daughter was gifted with magic, and enthusiastically tried to assist her. Petunia went with them on their very first trip to Diagon Alley. I saw something in her eyes, even then, that was quite ugly. She was jealous of your mother, Harry. She even wrote me asking to be admitted. Sadly, I had no choice but to refuse her request."

"Why her, then?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly as he looked down into the brilliant green eyes of Lily Evan's son. "Your grandparents on your mother's side died of natural causes shortly before you were born. Your paternal grandparents were killed by Voldemort early in the first war. You had no other aunts or uncles on either side of the family. With the rather glaring exception of the Weasleys, most pure-blood families only produce one or two children in a generation, if any at all. Your father was an only child, just as his father was an only child. The law was quite clear—the Dursleys were your only blood relative. Aside from that, there is a special protection that can be woven using the bonds of blood. I knew when you were still a baby that you were at risk. That Voldemort's servants would stop at nothing to kill you because of what happened when your parents died. I needed you someplace safe. And the safest place as in the home of a blood relative, where I could weave those blood wards.

"Those wards have worked. You may not realize this, but when you were three one of Voldemort's followers did try to break into the Dursely home, and they were defeated by those wards. So, it was the safest place I could put you.'

He reached across and took Harry's hand. The boy's hand went limp in his. "I knew it was not a happy home for you, Harry, and I'm sorry. But I swear that I did not know the extent Petunia was willing to let her jealousy go."

"It doesn't matter," Harry muttered.

"Ahh, but it does, Harry. It does matter to a great many people who care for you, and it will not be tolerated. Especially now that there is something new to consider."

Harry looked up.

"Yes, Harry. I'm speaking of your bond with Miss Weasley. We are going to test my theory tonight, but I suspect it will be necessary for Miss Weasley to stay with you at the Dursleys, at least for a while."

Harry started shaking his head. "You can't do that. They'll hate her. They'll…."

"Will treat her with the utmost of dignity and respect, or answer to me," Dumbledore said. For a brief moment, the kindly old professor was gone, and in his place sat a being of power. Harry blinked, surprised. "And," the professor said, returning once again to the kindly, off-kilter old wizard, "to Miss Weasley's parents, to be sure."

Harry closed her eyes.

"Do you think perhaps you should apologize to Miss Weasley for yelling at her?" Dumbledore said.

"Just did," Harry said.

Dumbledore smiled. "Do you think you and Miss Weasley would be up to eating with your housemates this evening?

Harry nodded eagerly.

"Very well. After your dinner, please return to the Hospital Wing." The old wizard climbed back to his feet, albeit a tad slowly. Harry hopped up with the ease of youth and put Hedwig back.

The two of them arrived at the door of the Great Hall just as Ginny and her parents arrived. The two older Weasley's looked at Dumbledore. "She said you'd cleared them to eat in the Great Hall."

"Indeed I did," Dumbledore assured them. "You and Molly are more than welcome to join us, seeing as most of your family are here."

"That would be lovely," Author said.

Ginny and Harry merely looked at each other, and the adults could tell a silent communication passed between them. They each reached out a hand and clasped fingers. The touch seemed to invigorate them, albeit briefly, and they turned and led the way into the Great Hall.

Harry was met almost instantly by a bushy-haired blur. "Harry!" Hermione, newly recovered just hours before, screeched as she wrapped him up in a hug. Ron was there a moment later, and much of the Gryffindor Table got up to great Harry. Ginny hung by, watching, until she felt arms around her shoulders.

"Come on Ickle Gin-Gin," Fred said.

"We have a place for you," George said.

She looked up at her brothers with a grateful smile and let them lead her to the table. Eventually, everyone else settled in as well. Ginny beamed happiness to have her parents there with her, and she looked around and saw that a good portion of her family was there. Percy, the twins, Ron, and…

She and Harry locked eyes, and it seemed that around them the rest of the world fell apart. Hermione sat on Harry's right, while Ron sat on his left next to his father.

Suddenly Harry blushed a bright shade or red, as did Ginny.

"Harry, you all right?" Hermione asked, looking from him to Ginny.

"We're okay now," Harry said. He turned to her, smiled, and put an arm around her shoulder. "It's really good to see you, Hermione."

She blinked at him, and smiled as well. "It's good to see you too."

After a filling meal, everyone parted to head back to their common rooms, save for Molly and Arthur Weasley, and Harry and Ginny. Throughout dinner, Molly had been watching the two of them with the eye of a mother. What she saw frankly alarmed her.

Both of the kids looked sallow and exhausted, with rings under their eyes. As the meal progressed, it really did look as if they were sinking in on themselves. It was almost with relief that they finished and started heading toward the hospital wing.

They were not quite there when Harry suddenly stopped, turned and looked at Ginny. She looked back, her eyes half-closed.

Harry started to reach for her, when Ginny suddenly collapsed to the floor. He made a strange sound, almost like a gurgle, and then collapsed right after her.

"Ginny!" Molly said, rushing to her daughter's side. She looked up at Arthur, who already had his wand out.

"Let's get them to the hospital wing," Arthur said. "More like as not, they just need to curl up in bed together."

"You realize you're talking about our eleven-year-old daughter!" Molly said.

"Yes, Molly, I am very well aware of the fact," Arthur snapped back. He lifted Harry in a _levicorpus_ spell and walked him toward the hospital wing. Molly took the more mundane approach of scooping Ginny up in her arms and following after.

Madame Pomphrey was just emerging from her office when she spotted Arthur and Harry. "Oh dear, did they collapse?" She did not sound entirely surprised.

Arthur nodded and allowed the mediwitch to direct Harry to their bed. With great reluctance, Molly placed her daughter on the same bed. Then they watched the oddest thing happen.

By intent or not, Molly placed Ginny on the edge of the bed as far from Harry as she could. Rather than scoot toward each other, Ginny actually slid backward across the sheets, much like a piece of metal to a magnet, until she was curled once more into the pocket of Harry's embrace. Almost immediately, the girl sighed in relief, and a hint of a smile touched her lips.

Harry did not smile, but the constant frown he had worn all day relaxed into a peaceful expression of slumber.

"That's what I thought," Pomphrey said. "Let's get Albus down here, and we'll explain what's going to happen from now on."

As it happened, the headmaster was already on his way, and very shortly the four adults were in Madame Pomphrey's room. Dumbledore ordered tea, and they all settled down to a cuppa.

"First, it appears the bond has stabilized," Pomphrey began. "That's why they were able to go most of the day without touching. I think the worst of the discomfort will fade away over time, possibly as early as tomorrow."

"So then this…" Molly waved at the door, "is just temporary? It's completely inappropriate for Harry and Ginny to sleep together, not matter how innocent it may seem. Because I assure you, in time it won't remain that way."

Pomphrey looked to Dumbledore, who nodded gravely. "The bond is not temporary, Molly."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I performed the standard identity spell," Dumbledore said. "Any ministry official would regard this as a marriage bond. While what they have is not technically not one, the link has been interpreted any standard definition as a magical marriage."

Molly paled. Arthur stood up abruptly, then sat back down. "Albus, you don't mean…."

"The soul-bond would register in the ministry as a magical marriage," Albus confirmed. "If you wish to certify it as such, it would provice emancipation to both Harry and Ginny."

"That's preposterous!" Molly said. Her voice was quickly rising. "We must put a stop to this now! They are not of marriageable age, either of them. I want that link severed!"

"I can do that," Dumbledore said. He leaned forward until his rheumy eyes locked onto Molly's. "But if I do, they will both die."

Molly shook her head. "You're lying! I know you are. You're doing this for Harry. You just want him to have a friend, so you did all of this…."

"Molly!" Arthur snapped.

Pomphrey, however, cleared her threat. "Mrs. Weasley—Molly—did nothing we discuss after their recovery sink into your mind? Harry Potter sacrificed a portion of his own soul to save your daughter. The act of doing that has linked their souls together. Any attempt to sever that bond would destroy their very souls, and in so doing kill them. If you have any doubt of this, I would be glad to accompany you to St. Mungo's where they can tell you the same thing."

Molly stared from one to the other, before she jumped to her feet and walked quickly out of the room. Arthur followed her immediately.

Mr. Weasley found his wife in a corner of the hall just outside of the hospital wing. She was staring forlornly out of a stained glass window at the lake. He saw her weeping as he joined her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"It's not right," Molly said. "Those two sleeping together like husband and wife."

Arthur chuckled. It was the perfect response to his wife's pain. "I assure you, wife, they are not sleeping together as husband and wife."

She shook her head. "Prat."

"I will confess something to you," Arthur said. "You never did stories for Ginny. You two never did get along as well as I hoped. Probably because she's so much like you. But Ginny grew up listening to stories about Harry. Not the ridiculous stories that were published, but stories she insisted that I tell her about how he probably lived, and what he probably liked. She was always sad for him losing his parents. She even once told me she would grow up and marry him and make him happy, like he deserved."

"She skipped the growing-up part," Molly said.

"True. But all this means is that Harry is even more a part of our family than before. You can't deny you were fond of him. And you heard what Ginny said of his home life. Maybe she is exactly what he needs."

"They don't seem to be getting along very well," Molly said.

"That's because they are children," Arthur pointed out. "I would be worried if they instantly became friends. The stories we read say that soul bonds are supposed to arise from deep love. Theirs arose through Harry's selfless sacrifice. If you truly care for either of them, Molly, then you should hope very much like I do that they do eventually come to love one another. Because they are linked either way."

He cleared his throat and squeezed Molly's shoulders. "Well, I think it's time we go back in there and finish hearing what the Headmaster has to say."

They arrived back in Pomphrey's office to find the mediwitch and Dumbledore exactly where they left them. Molly stuttered out a brief apology, to which the headmaster nodded and smiled. "It is quite all right, Mrs. Weasley. This is a shock to us all, believe me. Now, Madame Pomphrey, if you would continue?"

"Quite," the nurse said primly. "Potter and Miss Weasley collapsed today because their bond was strained. It is as simple as that. The bond must be occasionally strengthened through physical contact. It will never break, but if it is weakened sufficiently both of them will be debilitated."

"And if it is ever broken?" Molly asked.

"Then it will be as Albus said," Pomphrey told them. "Ginny and Harry will die. They are linked mentally, magically and physically. Such links cannot ever be severed. As inappropriate as it may seem, I see no alternative but to allow them to continue to sleep together. Anything else risks their very lives."

"They are children now," Molly said. "But when they are older…"

"Then they may do what teenagers often do," Pomphrey said. "They may even do what a certain young witch of fourteen did with her paramour in the astronomy tower on a certain April day."

Molly turned a bright shade of red. Arthur, however, grinned. "That was a good day," he remembered fondly.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Be that as it may, this does raise certain complications regarding Harry's housing."

Arthur's smile faded. "I will not have my daughter in the same house as those atrocious muggles you've saddled Harry with."

"I'm afraid there is no choice," Dumbledore said. "However, there certain steps we can take to ensure that she is treated properly."

"Such as?"

"I will accompany Harry home after term, and explain it to the Dursley's in a way they can understand. Arthur, you can then bring Miss Weasley to Harry's home in the evening. You may take whatever steps you feel necessary for her safety. Wards, tracking charms—whatever you require. And in the morning, you or Molly may pick her up and keep her home."

"You speak as if we have no choice in this," Arthur said.

Dumbledore looked from one to the other. "Lucius Malfoy makes two inquiries a week as to Harry's address."

Arthur paled. "Malfoy?"

"There have been other inquiries made as well. Crabbe, Goyle, Nott. I understand Mr. Bulstrode also inquired some time ago, during Harry's first year. Of course, the Wizengamut found that all these gentlemen were forced to commit acts of barbarity while under the _imperius_ curse during the first war, and so were let free. I'm sure their ongoing desire to know exactly where Harry Potter lives is quite innocent. However, because of those blood wards, they cannot trace him. Most importantly, they cannot harm him. While those wards are recharged every year, Harry will always have a safe place to live. And so, for at least the first month or so of summer, Harry must remain at the Dursleys. And as we have discussed, it now appears that Ginny must spend her evenings him."


	4. The Stick and the Carrot

**Chapter Four: The Stick and the Carrot**

The last few days of the term went by very quickly. Harry and Ginny were each able to attend their classes, and with the curing of Hermione, Colin and Mrs. Filch, the school seemed to return to normalcy.

Except at night.

"So why are they having to sleep in the hospital wing?" Ron asked. "I haven't seen Harry in our room since that day."

He and Hermione sat together in the common-room two days before they were scheduled to ride the train back to London. "Did you see him at dinner?" Hermione asked. She herself still looked a little pale from spending so long petrified.

"Looked alright to me," Ron said.

"Ronald," Hermione said with a shake of her bushy hair, "he looked absolutely dreadful. I was waiting for him to just pass out right there in his treacle tart. And I know you haven't been paying attention, but Ginny did not look any better."

"You think they were hurt down there?"

"No one has told us what really happened," Hermione pointed out. "But they've been spending every night in the hospital wing, so something must have happened that no one told us about."

"Harry did!"

"He told us about the basilisk, sure. But he didn't tell us what happened between he and Ginny."

"It was the book," Ron said.

"Ronald, something happened with Harry and Ginny together. That's what I'm talking about."

"How'd you know?"

"Have you watched them, Ron? They sit and stare at each other. If you look you can see their lips moving, almost like they're talking to each other. I think something happened."

"Well, if it's important they'll tell us about it," Ron said with a stubborn shake of his head. "Harry doesn't keep secrets. Not from us."

/o\/o\/o\/o\

"What?" Ginny whispered, pale.

"It's just for the evenings," Arthur said. "And just for two months. After that, Harry can come and spend the rest of the summer with us."

"But they're so awful," Ginny whimpered.

"Professor Dumbledore is going to discuss it with them," Arthur assured her. "And so will I. The professor has also given me permission to put up muggle-repelling wards all around the bedroom, so no one will be able to bother you at night."

She looked from her father's face to her mother, and finally over to where Harry stood looking miserable. They were in Professor McGonagall's office, speaking alone. "It's all your fault," Ginny hissed to Harry. "Now I'm going to have to stay at that filthy place with you."

If the elder Weasleys were expecting Harry to be angry or defensive, they were gravely mistaken. In the face of her accusation, Harry merely nodded. "I know. I'm sorry." He looked very small, alone and miserable.

Ginny's lower lip trembled when she saw his face. She rushed past her parents, and before Harry was even aware of what was happening, he found himself wrapped up in a tight embrace.

He hesitantly reached around and patted her on her back. However, he was looking at Mr. Weasley. "Don't worry, Ginny. I won't let them hurt you. Even if it means I have to use magic and get in trouble, I won't let them hurt you. I promise."

Suddenly he grinned, and a moment later Ginny stepped away giggling. "That would be funny, wouldn't it?" she said.

"What?" Molly asked, having missed the whole conversation.

"Ginny using the bat-bogey hex on Uncle Vernon," Harry said. "He does have a big nose."

"Now, you two, I know this will be a shock," Arthur said. "But I'll do everything I can to make you comfortable."

"Like a new bed," Ginny muttered.

"If we need one," Arthur said. He looked from Harry to Ginny.

"I sleep on Dudley's old mattress," Harry explained. "It has a few loose springs that poke out."

"Well, Harry, it seems to me you have a trust vault," Arthur said. "If you need a new bed, I am sure you can afford one. They're no more than thirty galleons for a good one that would be large enough for the two of you."

Harry's eyes widened, and he suddenly grinned. "That would be nice."

/o\/o\/o\/o\

The train ride home was unusually quiet. For one thing, Ron was a little put out to have Ginny in their compartment. However, that was nothing compared to Ginny's odd little friend, Luna.

The thin first year spent much of the ride with a copy of the Quibbler in front of her, turned upside down. She wore her wand behind her ear, much like a hairclip, and a necklace made of butterbeer caps.

Sometime after the goody trolley went past, she put the Quibbler down and smiled at Hermione, then at Harry. "I had the most pleasant dream last night about you two," she said.

Hermione was frankly afraid to ask.

"I dreamed that you and Harry discovered you were actually master thieves, and you married each other and stole from the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And I helped you sometimes, and eventually you let me be married to you as well. It was a delicious dream. Quite naughty, too."

Hermione's jaw dropped. Luna shrugged, her eyes far away, and she began reading the upside down paper again.

Hermione turned to Ginny, who was also staring at Luna. "That's a strange dream," Ginny managed to stutter.

"I know," Luna said without looking away from the paper. "Quite silly, seeing as how you and Harry are…."

"So Luna," Harry said quickly, "I like your necklace. Did you make it yourself?"

"Oh yes," Luna gushed. "It keeps away the nargles."

Not much was said after that. However, Hermione kept looking at Ginny and Harry. The two did not glance at each other at all the remainder of the trip. However, Hermione noticed occasionally how Harry would smile at something, and the same expression would echo across Ginny's face, as if they were sharing a private joke without saying a word to each other.

Finally they arrived at King's Cross station and tumbled out of the cars. As Hermione fetched her trunks from the luggage compartment, she spotted the Weasley family gathering on the far side of the platform.

She noticed that Harry was orbiting around them as if unsure he was welcome. Eventually, though, Arthur Weasley shook his hand, Molly gave him a bosom-crushing hug, and Ron hit him in the shoulder.

Hermione straightened as Ginny took his hand, and the two froze and stared at each other for the longest time. The other family members looked a little uncomfortable, but the normally shy Harry and the girl who had not said three words all year ignored them, and just looked into each other's eyes. Finally, though, their hands parted and Harry stood there, small and forlorn, as he watched them walk away.

Hermione finally had her things and walked across the platform until she stood by Harry. "You okay?" she asked.

He turned to her, and she was surprised to see that the eyes behind his glasses were moist. "Sure," he said. He looked away, and wiped an eye.

Hermione took a deep breath and reached for his hand, securing it firmly in her. "I am your friend," she said. "I know I'm bossy sometimes, but I really do care about you. If you ever need to talk about something, anything at all, you know I'm here."

Harry smiled at her. "I know," he said. "There is something strange. Something that happened in the Chamber, but I'm not sure how to talk about it yet. I'm not trying to keep secrets."

"I know," Hermione said. "Just, don't shut me out, okay?"

"How could I? You and Ron are my best friends."

His smile died abruptly. She followed his gaze. The Dursleys stood waiting for him. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley looked angry as wizarding families moved past them. Harry's cousin Dudley stood with his back against his wall, ensuring his rather large backside would remain free from any partial animal transfigurations.

"Are you going to be all right, Harry?" Hermione asked.

He squeezed her hand. "I will," he said. "Write to me, okay?"

"The same goes for you."

He nodded, let go of her hand and gathered his things to join his relatives. Hermione continued to stand and watch him go. He did not look at them, and they did not look at him as he lifted a trunk almost as large as he was into the boot of their car. The much larger Vernon did nothing to help.

In moments, they were in the car without saying a word, and Hermione watched them drive away.

She spotted her own parents a moment later, smiling and waving at her excitedly. Even so, she said to herself, "Oh Harry."

/o\/o\/o\/o\

The moment they returned to Privet Drive, Harry knew it would be a bad day. Harry watched as his uncle threw his trunk, his belongings—even Hedwig, into the cupboard and padlocked it away. "There will be no more of that rubbish in this house, do you hear!" Vernon snarled.

He grabbed Harry by his ear and yanked the boy painfully into the living room. "You think you're special, going to that freakish school of years. Well you listen here, boy. You're going to work for that room we gave you. I want this house cleaned every day. You will return to cooking breakfast and lunch for the whole family. I will have you at any other hours in the garden working. I'll not have you lazing about."

His tirade was interrupted by the ringing of their doorbell. "What's this, then?" he grumped as he strode toward the door.

Harry stood in the middle of the living room with Petunia and Dudley both nearby, when they heard Vernon begin to stutter. "I don't know who you think you are, but you are not….what do you…STOP THAT….grrrrrumpf."

Vernon appeared back from the entry hall, his lips flapping without any sound. His face was flushed bright red and his fists were shaking. A moment later, Albus Dumbledore appeared.

He was every inch the wizard, with his purple robes decorated with flying half-moons and stars, the tall, pointed blue hat, the half-moon glasses and the wand in his hand. Petunia sucked in a gasping breath, while Dudley made a strange whimpering sound and sat down on the couch with his hands under his bum.

"Good evening, Mrs. Durlsey," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "I'm afraid Mr. Dursely did not wish to speak with me, so I've taken the liberty of silencing him. If you would kindly have a seat, there are a few things I think it best to discuss."

By this time Uncle Vernon was waving his arms wildly while continuing to yell in absolute silence. "Sit, Mr. Dursely," Dumbledore said.

The flailing ended and Vernon sat on the couch. He was so red, Harry wondered if his head were about to explode. A moment later, Petunia sat beside her husband.

"Harry has had a somewhat difficult year," Dumbledore said. "Not in his performance, I should add. All in all, Mrs. Dursley, Harry is an extraordinary boy, who shows such courage and dedication as to make even the most hard-hearted parent proud. But sadly, I know that means nothing to you."

The old wizard leaned forward. "It has come to my attention that you have not treated Harry well."

"Whatever that little brat is telling you is a lie!" Petunia hissed.

"I think not," Dumbledore said. "But I do not wish to dwell on the past. Rather, I've come with…what is it you muggles say? A stick and a carrot. I shall start with the stick. I have placed a tracer spell on Harry. If he is not fed three square meals a day; if he is harmed by any of you for any reason; if he is denied proper rest or care; if he is worked beyond what your own son is worked; I will know immediately. And if I return to this house because of any of those things, I will be upset. And though I do try to control my temper, when I am upset sadly bad things do tend to happen."

Dursley was no longer trying to speak, nor was his face red. It was pale, almost the color of bone. Petunia's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Now, for the carrot. I recognize that, however little you have cared for him in the past, raising Harry has incurred some small expense. I am therefore willing to provide you five hundred pounds a month for those months Harry lives here to further ensure Harry's continued well being. This money is to ensure he is given full meals, is properly clothed with clothes that actually fit, is not treated as your personal slave, and is allowed full access to all of his belongings."

Although Dumbledore did not turn around, the door on the cupboard suddenly blew off in a shower of splinters. The explosion made the enter Dursley family jump in alarm.

"Mr. Dursley, I have removed your silencing spell."

"Get out of this house," Vernon growled.

"Not just yet," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "You see, there is something else. Toward the end of this term, Harry put his own life at risk to save a fellow student from an unfortunate incident. He suffered an injury in the process, as did this fellow student. Through matters somewhat too complicated to describe, it is necessary for Harry and this other student to sleep in the same bed. Therefore, this evening at nine, this student and the student's father will be arriving at your door. You will allow them to enter Harry's room, and you will make no effort to interfere with them. Once they are in Harry's room, they are to be left alone. If you attempt to interfere in any form or fashion, Mr. Dursley, I'm afraid I will be forced to turn you into a rather fat pig."

Dursley's eyes widened. "You wouldn't…."

Dumbledore flicked his wand. Petunia and Dudley both screamed. In fact, Dudley's squeals were of a higher pitch than his mother's. On the couch between where they sat just momentarily sat a momentously huge pink pig.

The pig looked from one Dursley to another, snuffled and oinked, and then nodded his head to the wizard.

Another flick of the headmaster's wand, and Vernon Dursley sat on the couch, breathing fast.

"I do not enjoy threatening muggles, Mr. Dursely," Dumbledore said. "We have laws in fact to protect you. Laws which, due to my position, I am exempt from. Nonetheless, I do not enjoy harming you. It is, frankly, repulsive to me that I have had to do even this much. But do not think for even a moment that I will allow you to continue to treat Mr. Potter in the way you have. And rest assured, if you treat Mr. Potter's guest with anything less than absolute respect, you will answer to a very angry father who will do far worse than turn you into an animal."

Dumbledore stood, then. "With the understanding that your stipend will be paid immediately, do you agree to what I have just said?"

"Yes," Vernon managed to squeak out.

The air itself rang, as if they were inside a giant bell. "Then it is done, Mr. Dursley. Your agreement is a now a binding magical contract. You will find the money has been deposited into your bank account. If you violate any of the terms of our agreement, the money will be withdrawn, and you will turn into a pig."

Dursley's eyes widened.

"You can't make us treat him like our own," he said.

"Nor would I try, since judging by your son that would be nearly as reprehensible as the way you have treated him in the past," Dumbledore said. "I am merely ensuring that you treat him like a human being. Now, I thank you for your time, and I bid you good day."

He popped out of existence, causing the Dursleys to jump once more.

Vernon turned to Harry. "What have you been…."

"Uncle Vernon," Harry said. "Remember the contract."

Vernon let his hand drop. "Go to your room."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry calmly walked to the cupboard, collected his things, and carried them upstairs.


	5. The Freak and His Friend

**Chapter Five: The Freak and His Friend**

The day passed in blessed silence. Every time Vernon looked at Harry, it appeared as if his head were about to pop, but he said nothing. They ate dinner in silence, and Harry was surprised despite Dumbledore's warning to find a plate waiting for him, with food. It wasn't as much as Dudley's, but was much more than he normally got.

Nine o'clock found him sitting on the edge of his worn mattress, wiping sweat from his palms. His stomach roiled such that he was seriously considering walking into the bathroom across the hall to be sick.

The queasiness turned icy cold when he heard the doorbell.

Harry jumped to his feet, rushed out of his room and down the stairs as fast as he could, but he wasn't fast enough. "Dad!" Dudley called, "the freaks are here! One of 'em's a girl!"

Harry appeared on the landing above the cupboard just as Vernon and Petunia came into the entry hall. Standing at the door was a stern-faced Arthur Weasley in a tweed-knit jacket and woolen slacks, with both hands resting on Ginny's shoulders.

Ginny wore a simple white sundress with red flowers, and held a bundle in her arms.

"What's this?" Vernon said. "That old man didn't mention anything about a girl."

"Mr. Dursley," Arthur said.

Dursely's face reddened. "You."

"Yes." Arthur raised his chin. "This is my only daughter, Ginny. Harry saved her life not long ago, but the magical injuries they sustained require they spend the night together."

"I am not going to let Harry and a _girl_ sleep together in this house," Petunia said with disgust.

"I believe there is a magical contract in place that says otherwise," Arthur said in a firm voice that made Harry strangely proud. "Nasty things happen to those who violate the terms of such a contract. Now, are you going to let us in?"

Petunia opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when a rather porcine squeal came from Vernon. "Come in," he managed to say before he wiped copious sweat from his forehead and turned to leave the entryway.

Arthur nodded and guided Ginny in before allowing the door to shut behind him. Dudley continued to stand, staring at Ginny.

"Come, Dudley," Petunia finally said. "We'll leave the freak to his friend."

Dudley came, but he looked over his shoulder as he left. The look made Ginny shudder. Then she looked up the stairs where Harry stood, and he was looking back down at her. "Sorry," he said.

"I know," Ginny said with a weak smile.

"Harry," Arthur said. "Let's see this room of yours."

Harry led them back up the stairs and showed them the second bedroom. "Not much space, is there?" Arthur asked. "Well, let's go about making this more comfortable. Albus gave me some money from your vault, Harry, and I thought to get a few items for you. First, let's make room."

He flicked his wrist, and the broken old bed disappeared. The nightstand, still bereft of any personal items, followed a moment later. The desk with the broken rear leg was the last to go. When the room was cleared, Arthur removed a small item from his pocket, then expanded it into a comfortable-looking queen sized bed, complete with wizarding bedclothes.

A moment later the bed was complimented by a nice wooden night table on either side, followed by a very large desk and a nice muggle-style desk chair.

Harry stared at it with a gaping jaw. "Thank you," he stuttered.

"Don't thank me, Harry. You paid for it."

Although the new furniture completely dominated the room, it also made it look much more inviting. As he was staring at the bed, Arthur turned toward the door and began weaving a layer of muggle-repelling wards.

"There," he said when he was finished. "You should not have any trouble with your relatives. Just be careful when you have to use the loo, Ginny."

"I'll watch for her," Harry said.

Both Ginny and her father nodded. Harry looked away then while Arthur said goodnight to her and gave her a long hug. Finally, though, the time came. With a nod to Harry, he walked out the door and it closed behind him.

Ginny sat down on the bed, pulled her knees up to her chin, and looked at the brass foot of the bed. She looked completely lost.

"I didn't like the way that boy looked at me," she finally said.

"I know," Harry said.

She took a deep breath. "Oh Harry, what are we going to do?"

Harry plopped down on the bed. "I thought you always wanted to marry me."

_Not when I'm eleven!_

_I know._ Neither even realized when they stopped speaking aloud. _Do you need to do anything to get ready for bed?_

_I did it all back at the burrow,_ she thought. _I'm wearing my pajamas under the dress._ To demonstrate, she shrugged out of the dress to reveal a pair of worn cotton pajamas. They actually looked rather boyish. Then he understood. They must have been hand-me-downs from Ron or one of her brothers.

"I'll go get ready, then," Harry said.

He grabbed his pajamas, and stepped out of the door.

Dudley was in the hall, staring at the door. Harry met his larger cousin in the eye. "Dudley," he said. "You know I'm not supposed to use magic out of school."

The cousin nodded.

"If you touch her, I will anyway, damn the consequences."

Dudley blinked, and finally looked Harry back in the eyes. Whatever he saw made him shut his jaw and duck into his room.

Harry went on to the bathroom and did not notice the door to his bedroom close again behind him.

When he returned after his evening toilet, he found Ginny already tucked into the far side of the bed away from the door. She was staring at the door with wide, chocolate-colored eyes. He smiled at her, closed the door, and then lay down beside her.

The bed was deliciously comfortable. "Harry," she said.

_Yeah_?

She reached over and took his hand. _In all dad's stories, and all my silly dreams, I never dreamed that you would be the way you are. I never dreamed that you were a hero_.

"I'm not…"

"You saved my life." She scooted close as they could feel the energy from their touch filling them. "You let yourself be hurt, you almost died, to save me."

"Ginny, I…."

She smiled at him. "Just shut up and say you're welcome, Harry."

"You're welcome."

"That's better. Now lay on your side. I don't like how excited you get in the morning when you wake up the other way."

Harry's cheeks blossomed, and Ginny giggled both at the sight, and the matching sensation she felt. Suddenly he grinned and leaned over his shoulder. "Just wait until you get some bobbies."

She slapped his shoulder, even while she laughed. "At least one of us will enjoy them!"

/o\/o\/o\/o\

They woke early the next morning. Harry stretched luxuriously in the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in, and felt the weight of Ginny's head on his shoulder. She was snuggled up against him, still asleep. Her right hand reached up and rested on his chest, near her lips.

Harry was still only twelve years old, still two months shy of his thirteenth birthday. He had never thought about girls in the way older boys did. He knew they were different and mysterious and something to be handled carefully, but he didn't know why. But he didn't treat them all that differently—look at Hermione. In his eyes, she was just another boy, albeit one who for some unfathomable reason did not like Quidditch.

But last night, when Harry saw her standing in the door way, he realized something that was completely foreign to his thought processes.

Ginny was pretty.

He felt her stretch then. He was looking down into her eyes when they opened and stared back at him. Her eyes were not really brown, more amber colored. Warm.

_Do you really think I'm pretty?_ Those eyes asked.

Maybe it was because of the early morning. Maybe it was because Harry slept without nightmares and woke up truly refreshed and happy for the first time in memory. Whatever the reasons, he did not blush and look away like he would have. Instead, he met her gaze. "Yeah."

She smiled at him. It wasn't a shy grin or a worried grimace. As she stretched beside him, she smiled with genuine affection. Their eyes latched onto each other, and as surely as he felt the pleasure she felt, she felt the same in him.

"We're going to be okay," Harry said as he hugged her closer.

"Yeah," she whispered. "We'll be okay."

Molly arrived half an hour later, since Arthur was already at work, and Harry stood at the door and watched as she disappeared for home.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Everything changed early in July. Arthur arrived with Ginny right on time, and the three of them walked without a word to the Dursleys up to Harry's bedroom. Harry knew something was wrong right off because Ginny's nose was red, her eyes were wet, and she was pouring off anger and resentment in waves.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as the door closed.

"I've won a lottery at the office," Arthur said.

"Er, congratulations."

"They're going to Egypt," Ginny said.

Hermione often accused Harry of not being observant. She would have been so very proud of the way he immediately noticed how Ginny said "they're" and no "we". He did not say anything, however, for fear of being hexed.

"We have not seen Ginny's older brothers in many years," Arthur said, "and it just so happens that both Charlie and Bill will be in Egypt next week. We're going to go visit them."

"But…" Ginny started.

"I'm going to make arrangements for Ginny to stay here."

Harry felt his heart flitter. "I don't think that's a very good idea," Harry said. "Nighttime works because she doesn't have to see anyone. But I don't think you really want to leave her here for a week. She'll be miserable."

"I've arranged it all with Professor Dumbledore," Arthur said. "We'll be leaving in two days." He then went through the motions of saying goodnight to Ginny, who basically ignored him. He left with a pensive expression and went to speak to Vernon.

"I'm sorry," Harry said when Mr. Weasley was gone.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, you're always so sorry," Ginny snapped. She threw her bundle of clothes for the next day on the floor. "I haven't seen Bill in two years! He's my big brother! Mine! He doesn't love any of the others half as much as he loves me. The whole family is going to Egypt, but do I get to go? No, I'm stuck in this muggle cesspit with Harry 'I'm so sorry' Potter!"

Harry blinked. He had never seen her so angry, or so vocal. She was stamping her feet and pacing as she talked, throwing her arms up in the air. She acted like a completely different person.

She suddenly stopped mid-rant. "Stop that," she said, glaring.

"What?"

"You were thinking I looked cute! I'm too angry to look cute, so stop it!"

"I can't help it."

"Do you want me to hex you?"

"Er, no?"

"Then stop thinking about me.

Harry shrugged. "Stop being cute."

That brought her up short. Harry sat on the bed and motioned her to come over. She shook her head. So he sent her an image, one actually inspired by something Luna had said on the train.

Ginny stared back at him. "You're crazy."

Harry grinned. "I've never had a friend in this house before."

Ginny wanted very much to be mad. She sent him in a flash how very much she wanted to be mad at him, but that just made him grin more when he held up her very own comb.

Finally succumbing with a tragic sigh, she went to the bed and sat down as Harry scooted back. She sat tensely waiting as she felt his fingers in her long red hair, and then the comb. She wanted to be mad at him, but after a few minutes of combing, she gave it up as impossible.

"Luna had the right idea," she whispered. _I like that._

He kept combing long after her hair was done, just for something to do and for the physical contact. Lulled by the peace and warmth their touching caused, Ginny started talking about her day. Not aloud—she was too relaxed to summon the energy.

They found that Harry could do the same thing, at the same time. They shared images and thoughts of their day, and what it would be like when school started. Would they have to sleep in the Hospital Wing all year long? Ginny admitted that her family still didn't know exactly what was happening. Her mother had told the others that she had some lingering issues from what happened and was sleeping in a special room at St. Mungos.

Then they finally settled on the coming week, with Ginny spending the day with the Dursleys. She could not help but shudder at the idea, and Harry eventually put the comb on the nightstand, scooted up against her and hugged her from behind.

It was a singular un-Harry Potter like action, and if not for their connection, she knew he would never have done anything like that. But as his arms folded around her stomach and his head leaned on her back, she basked in the strange warmth that only came when they touched.

_I will protect you_, he whispered directly into her mind. _Consequences be damned._

Because of their connection, Ginny knew he meant it, too. With that, they turned out their lights, laid down, and in minutes were both sound asleep.

When they woke the next morning and went downstairs, Harry knew the Dursleys were not happy. He watched from the stairs as Ginny silently walked past the disapproving glares of Harry's guardians to her mother. Petunia's pursed lips and the two blotches of crimson high on Vernon's cheeks were all Harry needed to see to know he was in for a bad day.

Surprisingly, though, they said nothing as Ginny stepped to her mom, and the two dis-apparated with a mild pop. Vernon slammed the door and looked at Harry, still on the stairs. "Come here, boy," he said.

Harry followed his uncle into the living room. Petunia followed a moment later. Dudley was already out of the house, tromping through the neighborhood with his friends looking for some smaller kids to beat up.

"Sit down," Vernon said.

Harry sat.

"Now that freak told us last night he wanted his little trollop to stay here the entire week," Vernon said.

Harry bit back and angry retort, but his uncle saw it in his eyes. "What, boy, have something to say?"

"No, Uncle Vernon."

"I thought not. Now, we said yes, but there are conditions." He leered at Harry. "I better not catch you snogging that little tramp in this house."

"She's eleven years old, Uncle Vernon," Harry muttered. "I'm twelve."

"Do not interrupt me, boy!" he said. "It's bad enough they have her sleeping in your bed like a whore, but to think…"

It was the last thing he said.

Harry could no more have contained the rage he felt than he could have stopped breathing. It blossomed up from deep within his magical core and erupted with an angry roar from the thirteen-year old boy.

The billowing shimmer of magic shot out and slammed into Uncle Vernon like a freight train. The portly man flew over the sofa and slammed into the wall with a _whoosh_ of escaping air.

"Don't you call Ginny a whore!" Harry screamed when at last he was able to form words. "Don't you dare ever call her that!"

He ran from the living room up the stairs to his bedroom, and slammed the door. Petunia, frozen by the exchange, rushed to her husband's side. "Contract be damned!" Vernon shouted when at last he caught his breath, "I'm going to kill that boy!" And, because he truly intended to kill Harry, Vernon Dursley promptly turned into a pig.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Madame Mafalda Hopkirk loved her job. She loved it, because she loathed children. Having never had any of her own, the spinster witch felt it was her duty to ensure that all children knew their place.

What better place for her to work, then, than the Improper Use of Magic Office. Through ward stones set at every corner of Great Britain and Ireland, she could detect almost any outburst of magic in an un-warded and non-magical home. Likewise, Ollivander and the other wand-makers were required to put temporary traces on all wands sold to underage witches and wizards, further insuring that no child could perform underage magic.

She knew, as did most, that pureblood magical families found a way around this, but Hopkirk did not bother with those families. They knew their places, after all. No, it was the Muggleborns that truly needed to learn their place in magical society.

When the wards announced a massive incident of accidental magic, she immediately checked the register and smiled. "Harry Potter," she said. "Again."

She started to prepare the standard letter and follow the procedures for Potter, which were different due to the protections on his home, when she noticed something new. She could see his address. Previously, she could send owls, but all records of his address were blocked by the strange wards Dumbledore established for the boy. But now, as clear as day, she could see the words #4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.

She let her hand fall from the letter. If it were any other child, she would send out the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to obliviate the muggles and undo any damage caused by the magic.

But she knew for a fact that Minister Fudge very much wanted to know where Harry Potter was, and her annual review was coming up soon. She had no doubt that, should she be the one to finally reveal the location personally to Minister Fudge, he would be very pleased with her.

Fudge's pleasure often translated as equally pleasing pay increases. After all, she very much wanted that new yellow dress Delores Umbridge had told her about. It would go absolutely fabulous with her phoenix-feather hat!

So, rather than notify the proper departments and alert Professor Dumbledore that the spoiled Potter brat had performed accidental magic, and on a scale she frankly had not seen in decades, she instead penned a private memo to Cornelius Fudge, then charmed it using an interdepartmental spell, to ensure it would be opened by him and none-other.

When she was done, Hopkirk smiled and dreamed about her yellow dress.

On the other side of the island, in his office at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore looked up at one of the many monitors in his office. It monitored magic in #4 Privet Drive, and at that moment, it had registered a burst larger than any the Headmaster had seen.

At least, any he had seen since 1937.

He pushed himself to his feet and rushed through the floo.


	6. Meet the Dursleys

**Chapter Six: Meet the Dursleys**

Albus Dumbledore arrived at Number 4 Privet Drive to find a very large pig laying on the sofa with a bottle of Benromach in its mouth. Petunia Dursley sat on the floor nearby with a look of shock. Her eyes were red, and Albus suspected he had missed quite a bout of hysterics not long ago.

She looked up and her whole face condensed into hatred. "You!" she shrieked. "You did this to him!"

"And I shall undo it presently," Dumbledore said. He undid the transfiguration, and Vernon Dursley choked on the drink still in his mouth. The bottle fell to the floor and spilled the last remnants of its contents as it did so.

Vernon sat up, still obviously drunk. "Want that freak out of my house," he declared. "Him and that little tramp of his too. Used his bloody magic on me, will he? I'll kill…."

"Mr. Dursley," Dumbledore said. His voice reverberated like a cannon around the room, and brought Vernon up short. "You have agreed to a magical contract," the professor continued in a much more reasonable tone. "Even the intent to do harm to Harry will turn you back into a pig. The actual harming of Harry could result in the change being made permanent, if in fact you do not die yourself. So, for all our sakes, please calm down and tell me what has happened here."

"It's all your doing, having that little harlot sleeping with the boy in our house!" Petunia said. "I knew you were all freaks, but to do something so preposterous is more than we can bear. You told my parents that Lily would be safe, and look where it got her! Did you whore her out as a child as well? Did you have her sleeping with that Potter freak when she was only eleven?"

Dumbledore stepped back as if struck, and both Petunia and Dursley fell suddenly quiet when the air around the old wizard shimmered with living shadow. As quickly as it came, however, Dumbledore viciously pulled his anger and magic back in. He resumed an appearance of calm and sat down on the couch opposite them.

"Do you believe in the human soul, Mrs. Dursely?" he asked with deceptive calm.

Petunia sputtered, momentarily caught off guard by the question. "I suppose…"

"The soul is quite real," Dumbledore explained. "Even muggles have them, contrary evidence notwithstanding. Ginny Weasley's soul was attacked this year. It was attacked by an evil that neither of you could ever understand, and it came very close to killing her, I'm afraid. It would have, if not for Harry. You see, even though he barely knew her, he used his magic to sacrifice a portion of his very soul to save her from this attack. It worked, but in the process weakened them both. Not magically—in fact I'd suggest the outburst I monitored today was indicative of Harry being a very powerful wizard some day. No, it weakened their souls. But it also bound those souls. Harry and Ginny are magically bound together. This has nothing to do with your ill-conceived notions, Madame. It has to do with the fact that Harry gave of himself without hesitation to save another. And the ongoing consequence of that sacrifice. For either of them to survive and thrive, they must renew the bond they share through physical contact. Hence, they sleep together. It is for that reason Ginny comes every night, and it is for that reason you will allow her to stay during the week her family is in Egypt."

"I will do no…"

"The stick and the carrot, Mr. Durlsey. What will it be this time?"

Dursley paled. "Er, the carrot."

"Very well. I shall add an additional two hundred pounds to your bank account for the one week Miss Weasley is to stay with you. In return, you shall treat her as you would an honored guest. You shall ensure she is properly fed and cared for, and you will in no way interfere with the evenings she is required to spend with Mr. Potter. Is this acceptable?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Dursley nodded.

"Very good, I'm glad we resolved this in a friendly manner. Now, I shall go talk to Harry, and I'm sure we can put this unpleasantness behind us."

With that, the old wizard left the stunned Durlseys and walked up stairs until he knocked politely on Harry's door. The boy opened it presently, and Dumbledore was presented with a young boy with wet cheeks and an angry scowl. The scowl faded into quiet despair.

"You're expelling me, aren't you?" was the first thing out of Harry's mouth.

"Not today, I daresay," Dumbledore said.

The relief was like a wave that swept through him. His scowl softened, his shoulders slumped, and he sighed loudly. He turned and walked into the room, and Dumbledore followed. "That was quite an outburst," the old wizard noted.

Harry sat down on the bed. "They called Ginny a whore," he said. "Didn't mean to do that to Uncle Vernon. I just can't believe…" He shook his head as raw emotion clouded his words. He looked up at the Professor. "How could they say that about her?"

"They do not understand," he said. "What they do not understand, they fear. And what they fear, they hate. It is a common enough response, even among wizards, I'm afraid." He stepped across the room and sat down. He bounced once or twice and nodded. "A very nice bed. I may have to ask Arthur to find one for me as well. My old one is, alas, old."

A flicker of a smile crossed the boy's face. "Am I in trouble?"

"I've not even heard from Madame Hopkirk, so I must assume the accidental magic was offset by the magic of the contract. I'm afraid your uncle was quite porcine in appearance when I arrived."

"Porcine? You mean he was a pig?"

"Even more so than normal, I'm afraid."

Harry chuckled aloud at the headmaster's joke.

"Harry, I have to ask you something. Have you ever had a burst of accidental magic like that?"

He shook his head. "No, but I've never been that mad before either."

"I see. So tell me, how have your evenings with Miss Weasley been going? Are you still arguing?"

"Sometimes, when she doesn't wear socks." Harry shivered. "She has very cold feet. But it's getting better, I suppose."

"Are you still seeing through each other's eyes?"

"No, not like that first day. We can control it now. I mean, sometimes I'll get glimpses. And yesterday she actually let me see through her eyes and feel things when she ate a piece of treacle tart her mother made. It was like she was sharing the desert with me. It was really nice."

"So you could taste what she tasted?"

"Yeah. Mrs. Weasley makes the best treacle tart."

"Then I shall no doubt have to try it some time, as I am well known for having a weakness for sweets." Dumbledore stood and looked down at the boy. "I know this is difficult, Harry. I wish it were otherwise. But you, more than any other, I have faith in."

The effect of Dumbledore's praise was visible. He straightened a little, smiling sadly with a reddening of his cheeks. "Thank you, Professor."

"And do not worry about your relatives," Dumbledore added. "I have spoken to them about Ginny, and you should not have any problems during the week she is here."

True to his word, when Ginny arrived that Saturday evening with her father and her Hogwarts trunk rather than just an overnight bundle, Petunia actually made a point of greeting her. "Hello, Ginny," she said. She could not bring herself to smile, but her words were neutral enough to make Harry hopeful. "I trust you will be comfortable here."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dursley," Ginny managed to stammer with wide eyes.

Harry carried her trunk up the stairs, and had it stowed under the desk as Ginny and Arthur arrived. Ginny's eyes automatically fell to the desk, where Harry was working on a potions essay. Then she spotted something else. "Flowers?"

"From the back garden," Harry said. "Figured the room wouldn't be so bad if I could brighten it a bit for you."

"That was thoughtful, Harry, thank you," Arthur said. He looked at Harry carefully. "Ginny told me you had a bit of a row with your relatives yesterday."

Harry nodded. "Professor Dumbledore took care of it."

Arthur nodded. He then hugged Ginny for a very long time. "I'm sorry you can't come," he said. "But things will get better, just you wait."

Ginny nodded and fought not to cry. When he was gone, she stood and stared at the door disconsolately. Finally, she turned, and saw Harry sitting on the bed with a sad smile, and a comb in his hand. "You look silly."

"Yeah," he agreed. She sat in front of him, and he started combing her hair.

To say that weekend was strained would have been an understatement. To say it was uncomfortable would be like saying a root canal without anesthesia was uncomfortable. But it was bearable, if just.

In an unusual move, Vernon, Petunia and Dudley went to church the next morning. "Feel the need, now, don't I, having a witch in the house?" Vernon muttered at breakfast.

Ginny heard, but didn't understand the context. Harry barely understood himself—he did understand, however, that it was a statement made out of spite. Still, after he cooked them breakfast and watched them bundle into the car, their absence made the whole house feel better.

"You cook good," Ginny said when they were gone.

"Lots of practice."

"How do you cook so much without magic? I swear mother would go daft trying to cook for us without magic."

Harry shrugged. "Dunno. Would you like to go for a walk? There's a park nearby."

Ginny nodded, and the two locked the house up with Harry's spare key and spent the morning walking to the park. That afternoon, they stayed in the back garden until Dudley stepped outside and stared at Ginny. After that, they retreated to the safety of Harry's room.

Harry introduced Ginny to muggle card games, while Ginny produced several decks of exploding snap cards. They didn't always talk, since there wasn't much to say. They merely kept each other company.

That night, Harry stood at the edge of the door watching as Ginny ducked into the bathroom to change into her nightclothes. Dudley poked his head out briefly and saw Harry watching with a wand in his hand. The larger boy quickly ducked back into his room.

They finished the evening with the new tradition of Harry combing Ginny's hair for her, still wet from her evening bath. "Wish we could do magic," she muttered. "Hate going to bed with wet hair. Mom would always dry it for me."

Harry knew his Aunt Petunia had a hair dryer, but did not mention it as he found it highly unlikely that it would be loaned to him. Still, the day went much better than either of them had hoped.

The next day, when the initial shyness and fear wore off, while Vernon was at work and Dudley was away picking on smaller kids, Ginny actually explored the house. The most fascinating thing she found was the muggle telly.

They came down to find Petunia firmly planted in her chair watching a daytime drama. Ginny paused and stared, captivated.

Petunia at first tried to ignore her, but after a few minutes finally had to turn around. Summoning what courtesy she could, she said, "Is there something wrong, child?"

"Is that a telabisson?" Ginny said, pointing.

"Do you mean a television?"

Ginny nodded.

"Yes, I suppose it is. Is there something wrong?"

"Just never seen one," Ginny said. She walked a little closer to it. "How do you muggles make the people move like that without magic?"

Petunia stared at the girl in confusion. That's how Harry found them when he emerged from the kitchen after washing the dishes. His Aunt stared at him. "She's never seen a television?"

"Ginny is from a pureblood wizarding family," Harry explained. "Technology doesn't work well around magic."

This was proven when Ginny reached out to touch the screen, only to have lines of static start warping the screen. She jumped back, surprised, and the lines went away. She looked up with a wry smile and blushing cheeks. "Well, won't try that again, will I?" She looked at Harry. "Does it do that with you?"

"Don't know," Harry admitted. "Never got that close to it."

"It does," Petunia said. "That's why you never were allowed that close to it."

"Huh, I thought it was because…" Harry stopped. "Aunt Petunia, last night Ginny had to go to bed with wet hair because we couldn't use magic to dry it. Do you think…would it be…."

Petunia surprised him. "If it doesn't blow up, she can use my old one," she said.

Ginny looked confused. "Use what?"

"A muggle blow-dryer," Harry said.

Ginny still looked confused, so it was a strange trio that walked up the stairs to the upstairs storage closet, where Petunia removed a bulky blow-dryer the color of pea soup. Ginny stared at the dangling plug. "Dad would just go crazy if he saw this," she said with a grin.

Petunia grunted and then led Ginny into the bathroom where they plugged it in. "Turn it on, and see if it works."

Ginny did so, and squealed in delight when hot air came out. She blew her hair, then her face, and then giggling pointed it down the back of her shirt and squirmed. Finally, she turned it off with a happy light in her eyes. "That was so brilliant!" she crowed.

What happened next would go down in the annals of Dursley history. Ginny threw herself into Petunia and hugged her before the woman could back away. "Thank you!" Ginny said.

Looking intensely uncomfortable, Petunia managed to say, "Your welcome."

Ginny turned to Harry. "What else?"

Petunia did not understand, but Harry did. The two spent the day exploring the intricacies of the muggle world. Harry showed her the mower and trimmer. They played with light switches and at one point Harry even unscrewed a light bulb so Ginny could examine it. They laughed when the bulb actually lit up in her fingers.

Petunia stared at it with a very blank expression, especially when Ginny handed the bulb over and Harry's touch made it light up almost to its full illumination.

Ginny was in such a happy mood from her explorations that she volunteered to help Harry make dinner. "I want to see how muggles do it," she announced as she rolled up the sleeves of her dress.

Petunia watched them, her face again oddly neutral. Through the course of the day, Harry kept waiting for her to explode, but for whatever reason, she never did. It was a good day. That night, after her bath, Ginny stood in the bathroom and blow-dried her hair. It was a new experience for her, and she had a little smile on her face as she worked.

Harry stood in the hall, watching her and making sure Dudley stayed in his room.

The next day Ginny calmed down a little, though she again volunteered to help Harry in the kitchen, both for the cooking and the clean-up afterward. After Vernon left for work, and Dudley left to go torture little children, Petunia came back to the dining table with a glass of tea and watched the two kids working in the kitchen.

She noticed how they never seemed to speak. Or if they did, it was in short bursts of a few words here or there. Ginny would look over her shoulder and Harry would seem to know she was wanting the towel. Or without being told while cooking eggs Ginny would reach in the icebox to a remove the milk and cheese. They functioned so well together, it was as if they had been together their whole lives.

"How long have you known each other?" Petunia asked, unable to keep her curiosity in check.

The two froze as if caught doing something wrong. Harry recovered first. "Er, I don't know."

"We met on the train station your first year," Ginny said.

"So two years?" Petunia said, counting.

"No, not that long," Harry said. "Ginny's a year behind me. We saw each other at the Burrow last summer, but we didn't really talk that much."

"We didn't really know each other until…" Ginny stopped talking.

"Yeah," Harry agreed to whatever she was thinking.

"Until when?" Petunia asked.

Ginny looked up and paled. The girl looked positively terrified. "It's hard to talk about," Harry said. "The dark wizard who killed my parents tried to possess her."

Petunia struggled not to drop her tea. "I understood he was dead."

"Not really," Harry explained. "He doesn't have a body, but he's not really dead. But it wasn't even really him. It was a diary that had a piece of him in it. It took her over and tried to steal her soul to come back to life."

Ginny put down the plate she was drying and walked very quickly out of the kitchen, then ran up the stairs. Petunia sputtered. "I didn't…"

"It's all right," Harry said. "The diary made her let a monster loose in the school that hurt some of the students before it tried to kill her."

"A monster?"

"A basilisk. A 40-foot long snake that could kill you just by looking at you."

Petunia paled. "What…?"

"I killed it. Got really lucky. It bit me and I almost died, but the headmaster's phoenix cried on the bite and healed it. But then I saw the book was ripping Ginny's soul out, and that's when…" He himself paled. "It hurt a lot." He put the plate down. "I'd better go check on her."

After they left, Petunia stood and quietly put the plates back herself. Eventually, she made her way to the second floor and down the hall to the second bedroom. She stood in the hall. For some reason, she wasn't able to go in, but the door was opened a crack and she heard sniffing from inside the room.

And Harry Potter saying, very softly, "It's okay, Ginny. I'm here."

Her face still expressionless, Petunia turned around and walked away from the bedroom and down the living room, where she turned the television on and lost herself in her dramas.


	7. A Grim Encounter

**Chapter Seven: A Grim Encounter**

It was supposed to be a miserable week. A week both Harry and Ginny dreaded.

Instead, it turned into the best week Harry had ever spent with the Dursleys. For the first time in his life, he had a friend. He did not have many things to show her of his own, but those things he did show her, she took an incessant delight in, much like her father acted around muggle items.

With Dudley and Vernon both gone each day, Petunia also seemed different.

Truly, she was never the one to hit Harry, but she also never showed even the hint of affection. So it was with a complete sense of shock that Petunia announced on Thursday that she, Harry and Ginny were going to go shopping for new clothes.

"Really?" Harry said, nearly speechless.

"Stop gawking and get your shoes on," Petunia snapped in response.

For Ginny, it was a true adventure. Little Whinging did not have much in the way of shopping, so instead they drove into outer London. Ginny stayed scrunched up against the window of the car, watching all the people of every nationality walk about or drive. "So many," Ginny whispered.

It was a discount clothier, but even so, the clothes Petunia purchased were the very first clothes she had ever actually bought for Harry. Ginny even helped pick out colors, though her tastes were obviously wizardly.

"You mean purple doesn't go with green?" she asked in obvious confusion when Petunia pronounced her opinion on a combination of pants and shirt.

"No, dear," Petunia said.

"Oh, okay."

Ginny shrugged it off. Harry, however, had a hard time stifling his shock. Petunia called Ginny 'dear'. He wondered if perchance his aunt had found another diary.

They ate lunch at a McDonalds. A real McDonalds. He'd never had food there. Ginny had never even heard of the place. Ginny announced that milkshakes were her favorite new drink in all the world.

Petunia almost smiled.

It was the strangest day Harry had ever had with his aunt. It was actually pleasant. When they got home and Harry hefted the clothes upstairs, he looked his aunt in the eye. "Thank you, Aunt Petunia."

"You're welcome, Harry," she said primly. "Now start working on dinner."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia."

Of course, when Vernon and Dudley got home things reverted to normal. Vernon was terse and angry, though he was very careful not to voice anything at Ginny. Dudley just stared at her.

On Friday evening, two days before Ginny was to return home, Dudley caught the two of them in the hall with the simple process of stepping in front of them. He was so large that simply doing so blocked the entire hallway.

Harry had his wand out of his pocket, but Dudley did not actually make any move. He just stared at Ginny. Finally, he said, "You really a witch?"

"Yes," Ginny said. Her chin was raised bravely against a boy literally twice her size.

"You ride a broom and everything?"

"I don't have my own broom, but I can ride one real good," Ginny said. "Not as good as Harry, but pretty good."

Dudley blinked and looked over her shoulder. "You ride a broom?"

"I'm on the house quidditch team," Harry said. "Think of football on broomsticks twenty meters up."

Dudley nodded, and it seemed the slow gears in his head were processing this information. "Okay," he finally said. With that, he turned into his room and shut the door behind him.

Ginny and Harry managed to get to their room before bursting out in laughter.

The next day was Saturday, Ginny's last day there. It was just a week before Harry's birthday. They spent the day in Harry's room, or walking to the park together. They did not hold hands or act like boyfriend/girlfriend. They did not accidently bump into each other like young lovers sometimes did.

They were not lovers in any sense of the word. They did not even think about the word. They still argued constantly. Ginny still became intensely uncomfortable if Harry was behind her when they slept.

He disliked her cold feet, and occasionally they would wage a battle during their meals, projecting tastes at inopportune moments. For instance, the taste of milk and orange juice was a truly vile combination. Just as castup and chocolate shakes did not mix.

Yet they moved together with a symmetry found only in the longest and most affectionate relationships. They could complete each others thoughts and read each others moods with a precision that frankly frightened Petunia.

They acted as if they had been married for a lifetime.

Petunia was working in the front garden when she saw them walking back from the park. The sun was behind them, throwing their faces in shadow. All she saw was the shock of unruly black hair, and the long fiery locks beside him.

Petunia suddenly found her vision obscured. She her eyes with her exposed forearm just as the two arrived. "Are you okay, Aunt Petunia?"

"Fine, Harry," she said quickly.

Harry nodded, and he and Ginny walked into the house.

That night, Ginny dried her hair for the very last time. She unplugged the muggle device with a sad smile and placed it on the counter. Petunia stepped into the hall, perhaps hearing that the blow dryer was off.

Ginny started a little. "I'm sorry if I…"

"It's all right," Petunia said. The two stood, staring at each other a moment.

"Well, er, thank you very much for having me this week. I know it was an inconvenience."

"Not at all." Suddenly, Petunia stepped forward and raised a hand. Ginny froze, terrified she was about to be hit. Instead, the hand gently took a lock of her red hair.

"He probably doesn't even realize it," Petunia said.

"Realize what?"

"You look just like his mother. My sister. Your hair is the same color. You even have a similar look around your cheeks. Your eyes are different but…" She stopped. "And he looks just like his father, but with…"

"His mother's eyes," Ginny finished.

Petunia nodded. "Well," she said, resuming her normal prim and proper persona, "if I do not have a chance tomorrow, it has been a pleasure having you as a guest. I wish you the best in your studies."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dursely," Ginny said with a very proper wizarding curtsy.

Petunia ducked back into her bedroom, and as she did so Ginny saw Harry standing in the hall as always, watching out for her. She smiled at him, and sent a brief image of a raspberry at him.

He responded with a mental noogie to her head, and both grinned as they retreated into their room.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Harry's eyes snapped open.

Ginny's back was pressed against him, just like she hated so much. She told him how much she hated the position every time they woke from it, and yet somehow they managed to get back the same way two or three times a week. Tonight was worse because somehow his hand had managed to worm its way under her shirt and was pressed firmly against her stomach.

It felt absolutely wonderful, but filled him with dread. If she woke like this…damn, too late.

"Harry, what are you doing?"

"Moving," Harry said as he quickly pulled his hand away and then rolled onto his back.

"Better," she growled. "Keep that _thing_ of yours away from my bum, if you don't mind."

By now, there was simply no embarrassment left. Instead, he grinned and shot her a full sensory image of what his "thing" felt like, especially when waking up next to her.

She sat up, turned around, and slapped his arm hard enough to hurt. "That was disgusting, Harry!" she said.

He felt her anger, and sat up quickly, rubbing his arm. "Sorry," he said.

"You better be," she snapped. "Gods above, if I told Bill or the twins, they'd hex you to pieces."

"I said I'm sorry," Harry hissed. _It's not like we sleep like that on purpose._

"Then why..." _do we always end up like that?_

_I don't know! All I know is that when I wake up, it feels like I slept better than when we just sleep holding hands._

"Stupid bond," Ginny muttered. "Next thing, Pomphrey'll tell us we have to sleep naked."

Harry blushed intently. "You better not be thinking that," Ginny said, closing her eyes.

"I'm trying not to," Harry said. "You brought it up."

Ginny flushed as well, then gaped at him. "Cho Chang? Are you joking?"

Harry said nothing, and Ginny shook her head. "So all it takes is for a girl to sprout a pair of bobbies early, and all the boys go crazy. Merlin, I should ask mother just to hex mine before they get any bigger."

Harry sputtered, but then froze. The contact in their minds went silent as well. "Harry, what's…?"

_Shush!_

_Don't shush me!_

_I heard something._

Ginny went quiet then as well.

Then they heard it. The stairs were creaking. The air suddenly seemed heavy and oppressive, as if it were somehow channeling their dread. Very quickly, Harry reached for his wand, as did Ginny. They each climbed off the bed and stood facing the door.

From somewhere on the other side of the door, they heard just the hint of a faint growl.

The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end. His hand dropped down and Ginny's found it in a desperate grip. The silence stretched on so long it began to hurt.

When it broke, though, the shattering of it was a thousand times worse. It was a scream—a terrified, high-pitched scream. Too high to be adult.

"Dudley!" Harry said.

Suddenly their door broke in half as a massive clawed hand covered in gray fur broke through. A second claw reached in after, and the two claws ripped the wooden door apart as if it were paper. Standing in the doorway was a monster.

Seven feet tall and a thirty stone easy, the beast was covered in thick gray fur. It stood on canine-like hind legs, with long, loping forearms that ended in those terrible claws. Angry yellow eyes stared at the two children over a snarling nuzzle.

_Werewolf_. Ginny was too terrified to speak aloud.

The werewolf stepped forward, while further in the house Dudley screamed again. Holding hands, Ginny was petrified with terror. Harry, though, was angry. He was supposed to be safe here.

The wolf dropped down on all fours, tensing to strike. Harry raised his hands and shouted the first hex to come to mind. Only, it was not his mind it came from. "_Vespertilio_ _ēmunctĭo_!"

A flare of purple light struck the werewolf just as it pounced. Suddenly, its head literally exploded as a swarm of mucus bats ripped free from its nose. The body continued forward, bleeding mucus-green bats like blood, and slammed into the terrified young couple.

Harry lost his grip on Ginny as he fell under the body. Without a thought about magical restrictions, Ginny applied one of the few spells she knew and levitated the body away. The two jumped back to their feet and ran into the hall. Another werewolf stood in front of Dudley's room. It held Harry's cousin in its hand. The boy looked white with terror, but did not appear to be harmed.

The creature saw Harry and Ginny and dropped Dudley to the floor. It growled and dropped down to all fours. Just then Vernon and Petunia stepped into the hall. "What in blazes is…" Vernon froze when he saw the monster.

"Uncle Vernon, get back in your room!" Harry screamed.

He reached out with his magic without even using his wand. He didn't know a spell to do what he wanted to do, but he wanted to do it with sufficient need that his magic responded. Vernon and Petunia were thrown bodily back into their room, and the door slammed shut behind them.

The werewolf howled as it spotted its prey. Harry raised his wand, ready with Ginny's famous bat-bogey hex if necessary.

It turned out not to be.

With a loud barking growl, a huge black dog flew up the stairs and latched its jaws onto the neck of the werewolf. The dark creature howled in anger as it tripped over the prone Dudely and fell into the boy's room. Harry and Ginny rushed forward and grabbed Dudley's arms. "Come on," Harry said.

Dudley scrambled to his feet and the three of them ran to the master bedroom.

Inside, Vernon was loading a shotgun. He pointed it at them when the door opened, though he jerked it back again. "What is going on out there?" Vernon demanded.

"Werewolves," Ginny said.

"Rubbish!"

"It was a werewolf, Dad," Dudley stuttered.

"Something must be wrong with the wards," Harry snarled. "We were supposed to be safe here!"

They all heard crashing from Dudley's room, accompanied by growls, howls, and screams. One scream was shockingly loud, and was followed by silence.

Harry and Ginny spun around, dropped to their knees, and pointed their wands at the door. Then they heard a man's voice call out, "Harry Potter! Harry!"

"Is it a Death Eater?" Ginny whimpered.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Where'd the dog go?"

"What dog?" Petunia asked.

"A dog attacked one of the werewolves."

"One of them?" Vernon bellowed. "Where's the other?"

"We got it," Harry said.

Vernon sputtered, but all of them froze when the door quietly swung open and a starved-looking man with wild hair and an untrimmed beard stood before them. He wore nothing more than a hastily transfigured robe around his thin frame. A strange tattoo dominated his chest, and Harry wondered if it meant he was a Death Eater.

"Harry Potter," the man said.

Harry raised his wand.

"You look just like your father," the man said. "Except for your mother's eyes."

"Who are you?" Harry demanded.

"I'm the first person in this world to hold you, after your parents," the man said. "I'm your godfather. I was James Potter's best friend. My name is Sirius Black."

Harry felt a rush of terror from Ginny so strong he almost gasped from it. _Sirius Black!_ She thought to him. _He's the man that betrayed your parents, Harry. It was in all the books about you. He killed a bunch of muggles and went to Azkaban. He's a Death Eater!_

Harry felt his eyes watering. "You weren't his friend," Harry said. "You betrayed him!"

All semblance of civility vanished. "Betrayed him! Betrayed! I would have died for James! I would have died for Lily! It's all lies. It's all…" He stopped his rant and sniffed the air. "I smell the rat. I smell…" His eyes locked onto Ginny. "You! I smell the rat on you. Who are you, girl!"

He started forward but Harry jumped to his feet and stood between them. "You leave Ginny out of this."

Behind them, Vernon cocked his shotgun. "Get out of this house, you freak!"

Black threw his head back to expose a row of blackened teeth. His laugh was frenetic and strained. "Freak? You call me a freak? I remember the day Petunia met you, you ass. Lily knew even then what kind of bastard you are. I'm not the freak."

Vernon leveled the shotgun, only to have it suddenly turn into a very large cod. A living, rather distraught cod that wiggled out of his hands. Black produced a wand. "It's not mine," he said, eyeing the stick sheepishly, "but it'll work in a pinch. Back against the wall."

Vernon, Petunia and Dudley backed against the wall. Harry stood still. "Don't you hurt them," Harry said. "I'm the one you want."

"Oh Harry, if your dad could see you, he'd be so proud," Black said. Then his eyes returned to Ginny. "With that hair and those cheekbones, I'd swear you were a Weasley, but there hasn't been a female one in generations."

Ginny stood slowly, her wand before her. "I'm a Weasley," she said.

"Hmmm," Sirius said. "The only Weasleys alive at the end were Arthur and Molly, and they already had six."

"I'm number seven."

Sirius laughed, again in a strained fashion. "Give them points for perseverance. One time McGonagall caught the two of them in the astronomy tower in their fourth year. It was the stuff of legends. I guess it's not surprising they ended up having seven kids. Too bad you're harboring the rat."

His wild laugh and almost pleasant smile ended abruptly, and his wand moved so fast neither Harry nor Ginny had a chance to respond as both were hit with paralysis spells. They fell back like frozen statutes.

Against the wall, Petunia gasped. Black stepped between the kids and removed their wands before he looked at Petunia. "Whatever wards were supposed to be here are gone," he said matter-of-factly. "Those werewolves were here for Potter. Even after I take Harry, more will be back. Or maybe worse. Get only what you need and leave. Leave and don't come back."

"You're not going to kill us?" Petunia whispered.

"Not today," Black said. He knelt down beside the frozen bodies of Harry and Ginny, winked lasciviously at Petunia, and then all three disappeared with a very loud pop.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

A blaring howl brought the headmaster tumbling from his quarters off the headmaster's office. Fawkes was squawking in alarm as well as Dumbledore blundered past his desk and chair to the rows of instruments. He passed his hand over the device that was wailing, and blanched.

He instantly strode to his flew and threw in a handful of powder. "Amelia Bones!"

A moment later a face emerged from the flames. "Albus, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Amelia, get aurors to Number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging!" Dumbledore said. "Potter's wards have failed and he's not there!"

He cut the connection before the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement could respond, and a moment later flooed himself, still in his sleeping robes, to the home of Arabella Fig.

The witch came running out of her room as Dumbledore emerged. "Headmaster!" Fig cried. "What's wrong!"

"It's Harry!" Dumbledore said. He ran full tilt from Arabella's front door across the street. He reached the sidewalk just moments before six aurors apparated in around him. The lead auror, a tall man with rich black skin and a leopard-skin hat, nodded to him. "Headmaster. We were already in route. Hopkirk recovered several reports of underage of magic."

Before either man could say a word the front door opened and the Dursley family came barreling out with luggage under their arms. They froze as they saw Dumbledore and the other aurors.

Petunia dropped her bags and stalked across the grass until she stood glaring at the headmaster. And then, to the shock of everyone around them, she slapped him.

Hard.

"That's for your stupid blood protections!" she hissed. "Didn't stop those werewolves from just waltzing into my home, did they? They almost killed my Duddykins!"

Duddykins was, at this moment, climbing into a car with both his hands covering his rather large posterior.

"Madame, I do not understand what happened," Dumbledore said, shocked by more than just the stinging slap.

"Werewolves happened!" she said. "Then that wild man came! Black. He came and killed them both. Harry and Ginny, he killed them both and spelled away! So much for your stupid protections."

The other aurors were staring at each other in horror. "Black?" Shacklebolt said. "Sirius Black was here?"

"He was! I recognized him from Lily's wedding!"

Dumbledore staggered as if struck by a truck. "Merlin's beard," he whispered. "How can this be! Black was in Azkaban!"

"He escaped," Shacklebolt said. "He escaped just days ago. But there was no way he should have been able to come here. The blood wards kept Harry's records private."

Dumbledore stepped forward and waved his wand through the air. "They never recharged!" Dumbledore said. He turned to Petunia. "You must tell me. Did you kick him out? Was this last week too much!"

"No!" Petunia screeched. "It was actually…" She stopped herself. "I didn't kick him out. They were in their room. They killed one of the werewolves. A dog killed another. Then Black came and took them away."

"But there's no way the wards could have failed," Dumbledore said. "They were keyed into Harry's very magical core. They would recharge every year upon his return until he was an adult. Until he was…." Dumbledore suddenly knelt down and covered his face with one hand.

"Albus," Shacklebolt started.

The headmaster slowly stood and stared at the house. "You should send men in to secure the werewolves," Albus said with such exhaustion and sadness he appeared on the verge of tears.

Shacklebolt merely nodded, and two of his men ran into the house to begin the clean up.

Dumbledore turned to Petunia. "Dear lady, I have done us all a grave disservice. The bond that Harry and Miss Weasley share equates to a marriage bond in wizarding society. And like in the muggle world, the act of marriage is considered an emancipating event. Though he is not yet even thirteen, the bond has legally made him an adult. And because he was an adult, the wards simply ceased to charge."

Petunia found herself shaking. "And so that vile man was able to just waltz in and take them both. Their blood is on your hands, Dumbledore. Just like my sister's blood."

She strode past the headmaster to the car where her husband and son waited. She did not look back as they drove out of the drive way and sped away.

"This is bad, Albus," Shacklebolt said. "If words gets out that the Boy Who Lived has been…"

"He's not dead, Kingsley," Dumbledore said. "My trace may have lost his location, but from what I saw he was still alive. But why? What does Sirius hope to accomplish with this?"

"To finish what he started twelve years ago," Shacklebolt said. "To finish off the Potter line."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said. "Although if he were interested in their deaths, it would have been just as easy to allow the werewolves to finish the job."

"You don't think he sent them?"

"Did you hear Mrs. Dursley? A large black dog fought one of the werewolves. Black is an unregistered animagus. His form is a large grim. And now, I'm afraid, he has the savior of the wizarding world at his mercy."


	8. The Shrieking Shack

**Chapter Eight: The Shrieking Shack**

Harry woke up slowly, with an all too familiar pain. It was the pain he and Ginny felt that first day, every time they tried to separate. It was the pain they felt after a too-long day when they hadn't had a chance to touch properly.

He sat up, dizzy and confused. Almost immediately he became aware of his circumstances, such as the fact that his neck and back hurt. His arm was a little numb, and he was very queasy.

He then became aware of a bundle with red hair across a dusty wood floor. "Ginny!"

"Don't move, boy," a harsh voice snapped.

Harry froze and turned. Sirius Black stood against a wall with one wand in his hand, and two more poking out of his pocket. He wore a pair of slacks that appeared to have been transfigured to fit him better. His white shirt was stained and had a tear down the center of his chest.

"What'd you do to Ginny?" Harry demanded.

"Stunned her for now," Black said. "I'll figure out what to do later. Right now I want to look at my godson."

"You're not my godfather," Harry said with forced calm. "You betrayed my parents!"

"Is that what SHE told you, Harry? Tell me what you really know about that night, Harry."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Harry said. "When Professor Dumbledore finds you he's going to tear you apart."

"What makes you think he can find me, Harry? Did you know you had a trace spell on you? So did the traitor, for that matter." He nodded to Ginny. "I removed them."

Harry didn't quite know what to think about a trace spell, but it didn't matter. "I need to check on Ginny."

"You need to stay right where you are."

"You don't understand!" Harry said. "We didn't get enough time last night. It's starting to hurt."

As if on cue, the bundle that was Ginny moaned a little. Her right leg twitched.

Black stared from Harry to the girl. "What are you talking about?"

"We've got to touch for a few hours each day, or it hurts."

"You're kidding me."

Harry scowled at him. "You just kidnapped me and Ginny. Do I look like I'm kidding you?"

Black blinked and then suddenly grinned. "You may look like your father, but just then I could swear I was speaking to Lily Evans."

"Please," Harry said. Ginny moaned again, and Black could see perspiration beginning to bead on Harry's forehead.

"And if I say no?"

"Please," Harry whispered once more. Then, with a grunt, the boy's eyes rolled up into his head.

Black then witnessed a very strange thing after his godson collapsed. Ginny Weasley started scooting across the filthy floor. Her old pajamas caught at the splintered wooden planks as she moved. Harry also seemed to move toward her, but more slowly, as if his greater mass was having a more intense pull.

Neither appeared aware of what was happening, until they met in the center of the room. Without opening their eyes, Harry turned on his side as Ginny scooted into his embrace, and they fell asleep spooning together.

Sirius walked around them, staring. If not for them being so very young… They assumed the same position James and Lily would use by the lake during that magical seventh year, when they finally realized they were meant for each other.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

When Harry woke next, it was to the wonderful warmth of Ginny pressed desperately against him. The moment he came awake, he could sense her mind in his, and the fear she felt. He reached around and placed a hand on her flat stomach and pulled her closer, and for once she did not protest.

_You okay?_

"He said…" _he was going to kill me_, she whispered. _He said he was going to_ "cut off my fingers" _and send them back to mom and dad. Harry_, "what'll we do?"

"I don't know," Harry whispered.

"What is it with you two?"

Harry and Ginny parted and came up gasping. Black squatted on the old floor beside them. Both kids backed up as fast as they could, until they came to a wall that stopped their progress. "So," Black demanded, "what is this?"

"Are you going to hurt Ginny?" Harry demanded.

"What?" Black scoffed and stood with a loud crack of his knees. "No, I'm not going to hurt Ginny. I don't hurt children."

"But you said…"

"She's a traitor," Black said. "I can smell the rat on her. I'll kill Arthur and Molly for betraying me, but I won't kill her. That was just to scare her."

Ginny whimpered.

"You won't hurt any of them," Harry said. "You're the traitor!"

"Ahh, this is where we left off, isn't it?" Black said. "Good, let's continue this conversation. Tell me, what has the little witch been telling you, Harry? What really happened twelve years ago?"

It was Ginny who answered. "It's been in all the books! Harry's parents were under the Fidelius and you were the secret keeper. You betrayed them to Voldemort, killed the Potter's friend Pettigrew and a bunch of muggles and…"

"Did I ask you, you filthy traitor?" Black suddenly roared.

Ginny whimpered. The sound and feeling of her fear drove a surge of anger through Harry. The anger materialized as accidental magic, and just like with the Dursleys a wave of force swept through the room.

Black hastily erected a magical shield, but it crumbled before the onslaught of Harry's anger and the ragged wizard went stumbling into the far wall.

"Ginny, now!" Harry said. He jumped to his feet, grabbed her hand, and two of them ran toward the door. They made it half-way there before the door slammed shut and locked with a blue spell that sealed it.

Harry spun around, sheltering Ginny with his body, as Black slowly climbed to his feet. "That was a big push, Harry," Black said. He wiped a bit of blood from his bitten lip. "Lot of magic floating around in that head of yours, isn't there? Now, let me tell you what really happened. Your little witch is lying. I wasn't the secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew was."

"Then why did you go to Azkaban?" Harry demanded. "Seems if you were innocent you wouldn't have gone there."

"Why is Lucius Malfoy, a marked Death Eater, walking free?" Black demanded. "There was no justice right after the war, Harry. I didn't even get a trial. They just assumed I was guilty and sent me away to that hellhole. Twelve years, Harry! Twelve years of hell! But then I saw it. Proof that I was innocent."

He strode quickly across the abandoned and crumbling room and grabbed a week-old edition of the _Daily Prophet_. He threw it at Harry.

It had a picture of Ginny's family, all but her, waiving from Egypt. "What about it?" Harry said.

"Did you know your father was an animagus, Harry?" Black said.

Harry looked up. "Is that like Professor McGonagall?"

"That's right. She's a cat. Your father was a stag. I'm a wolfhound. And our friend, Peter Pettigrew, was a rat."

Harry looked down at the picture.

"He cut his own finger off," Sirius said. "He screamed that I was the one that betrayed James and Lily, and then he killed those muggles, transformed and disappeared."

"Scabbers is missing a claw," Ginny whispered, pale.

"You pretend you didn't know?" Black hissed.

"I can feel her mind," Harry muttered, "she didn't know. We still don't know either, you could be lying."

Black, however, was staring at them. "You what?"

"What?"

"You said you feel her mind? This has to do with that touching thing and the way you two talked?"

Harry felt his cheeks blush. Sirius, though, continued to stare at them. Finally, he pointed his wand at them. "_Assignifico_ _Conjugium_!"

Harry tensed, expecting a stunner, but nothing emerged from Black's wand. He looked down, though, and was surprised to see the bright aura of red and green light surrounding he and Ginny, much like in the Chamber.

Black stared at them, mouth agape. "You're married."

"We are not!" Ginny snarled.

"It's a soul bond," Harry said. "It's not a marriage."

"That's a ministry spell to confirm marriage," Black said. "Before the world fell apart I was an auror. And I assure you that whatever you may have been told, you are legally and magically married." Suddenly he started to laugh. The laughter continued far too long, and seemed to rob the man of his strength.

He collapsed to the floor, and suddenly the laughter morphed into great, racking sobs of anguish. "You're not even thirteen, and the traitors have already trapped you in marriage."

"Stop calling my family traitors!" Ginny suddenly yelled. "My uncles died fighting Him! We are not traitors!"

Black stopped sobbing and stared up at her for the longest time. "Gideon and Fabian," he said.

Ginny's jaw snapped shut and she took a step back.

"I was there, girl," he said. "Me, Remus Lupin and Benjy Fenwick were there with Gideon and Fabian. We fought a squad of twenty Death Eaters. Benjy was blasted to little pieces. But Gideon and Fabian—they fought like men possessed. Ended up taking out almost the whole squad before they fell. They were the reason Remus and I were able to get away. They died true heroes. You have every reason to be proud of them."

He looked down at the wand in his hand, then at the two sprouting from his pocket. "Twelve years," he whispered. "I was supposed to be your guardian, Harry. I was supposed to be there for you. Hagrid even said so, but I was so mad at what Peter had done. I just couldn't…" He took a great, shaking breath. "You have no idea what it was like.

"James was my very best friend, Harry. My only friend for many years when I left home. I loved him more than my own brother. When my parents threw me out for not supporting Voldemort, your grandparents let me stay with James. I was his best man at his and Lily's wedding. I was the first person to hold you after your parents. You even pissed in my beard. Lily laughed so hard it hurt her ribs. But then that blasted prophecy came out and Voldemort started looking for you. It was me who convinced them to name Peter as the secret keeper. Everybody knew how close we were. I was afraid if Voldemort caught me, the secret would break."

His eyes welled with tears and he seemed to actually shake. "I could never have believed that Peter would go to the Dark Wanker."

Harry tried to absorb everything he just heard, but for some strange reason his mind could not get past: "Dark Wanker?"

"Better than Moldieshorts," Sirius said. "That's what Remus used to call him."

Ginny giggled despite herself. "Moldieshorts?"

Harry could not see a threat from his strange man. In fact, much like the colors he saw on himself and Ginny after Sirius's spell, he saw a wreath of color around this man. He knew Ginny could see it is well. The color was ragged with pain, but it seemed to imply honesty, sorry and regret.

"Are you going to hurt us?"

"No."

"What were you doing at the Dursleys?"

"Watching you. I didn't expect to be able to find you so easy. When I saw the werewolves, I realized something was wrong. There was no way even Dumbledore would let the Boy Who Lived stay in a completely un-warded home. So I snuck in after the werewolves, confirmed what they were about, and did my best to help you. Nice work on the first one, by the way."

"It was Ginny's spell."

Sirius looked at her. "Did you know the rat was Pettigrew?"

She shook her head.

"Her brother Ron is my best mate," Harry said. "I've known him since we started Hogwarts. He's always had the rat. We've never seen it as anything else. He's never changed."

"He's is old though, for a rat," Ginny suddenly said. "I mean, before Percy had him he was Bill's. He's been in the family for…" She turned and looked at Harry.

He nodded. "Eleven, going on twelve years."

"That's a long time for a rat," Sirius said.

Harry turned to his godfather. "So what now? Are we hostages?"

Sirius shrugged, then after another thought tossed their wands to them. "Honestly, I don't know. Didn't really think I'd actually be able to get to you so easy. But when those werewolves attacked, I knew I had to get you out of there."

Harry gripped his wand, and beside him he knew Ginny was doing the same. They believed Black, but they still did not want to risk trusting him too much.

"Will you let us go?"

"Where too?" Black asked.

"The Burrow," Ginny said suddenly. "My family was supposed to be back on Sunday."

"It is Sunday," Sirius said. "Very late into Sunday, actually."

Ginny's eyes widened a bit. "Mum and Dad are probably going spare."

Sirius stared at the two kids. "Better go, then."

Harry stammered. "What?"

The man that looked up at Harry was not a raving lunatic. He was not a mass murderer. He was a crushed soul void of any hope. "Go," he said. "We're in Hogsmeade. Just go to the Three Broomsticks and you can floo directly home."

Harry felt Ginny's hand in his. He did not need to look at her to let her know the gesture made her smile. Instead, he kept his eyes on the man sitting before him. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Black said. He refused to meet Harry's eyes. "I'm a wanted, escaped convict. There is no me. No Sirius Black. Only a prisoner of Azkaban."

Finally, he looked up as if only then noticing Harry and Ginny were still there. "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, are you going to go or what?"

Ginny bristled at the name, but Harry just squeezed her hand. "Will you be here?"

"Probably not."

Harry nodded, then turned and walked out of the now unlocked door with Ginny beside him. They moved down a narrow, rickety stairwell, through a small opened and into an open field just on the edge of town. Only when they emerged did they realize where they were. "It's the shrieking shack!" Ginny said. "Fred and George told me all about it! They even showed me a picture once."

Unwittingly an image came to Harry's mind of the photo, and the story the twins told to their little brother and sister.

Having been only a second year, Harry never got to see Hogsmeade, save for the station. Ginny knew even less about it than he did. Still, there was a well-worn path through the tall trees and, holding hands, the two of them started out in the late morning sun until they reached the wizarding village.

The village was very quiet, as if the end of term had emptied it as well. Still, they could see occasional movement from inside the buildings. Perhaps because it was Sunday. They wandered through the town until they reached the Three Broomsticks.

Harry knocked on the closed door and the two waited. He was about to knock a second time when the door swung open. "Are ye daft?" a woman's voice muttered. "It's Sunday morn and…'allo, dearies, what's all this?"

Madame Rosmerta was a very curvy woman with a mound of dirty blonde hair that was hastily tied in the back of her head. She wore a loose white dress with an apron. The dress was very low cut and made Harry blush. Ginny glared at him, and then looked at Madame Rosemerta herself. "Excuse me," she said, "but we need to get back to Ottery St. Catchpole. Could we use your floo?"

Rosmerta, however, was staring intently at Harry. "Merlin's beard," she whispered. "Harry Potter." She turned to Ginny. "And you must be Ginevra Weasley. The paper said you'd been snatched by Black."

"We were, sort of," Harry said. "He brought us here and let us go.'

"He what?"

"He saved us from werewolves," Ginny explained. "Please, it's been a long night, can we use your floo?"

"What?" Rosmerta blinked. "Yes, yes, of course. Please come in. Are you hungry? Would you like a bite to eat first?"

"No thank you," Ginny said, despite the very audible growl from Harry's stomach. "I think it would be best if we just get home."

"Well, at least have a scone. I have some fresh from the oven."

Ginny turned to Harry. "You can't wait the five minutes it'll take to.."

Rosmerta blinked when Harry shrugged without reply. Ginny continued to stare at him, and without a word it seemed to two of them waged a long argument, before the girl shrugged. "That would be great," Harry said. "Thank you."

After sitting at a table, Rosmert plied them both with some delicious scones and pumpkin juice, and only once they were full did she see them to the floo. She stepped away from the fireplace after they were gone shaking her head, but stopped and gasped in surprise when she saw she was not alone. "Black!"

"Those scones smell good, Rosie," he said. He had his wand pointed at her.

"Take what you want, just don't…."

"Rosie, I'd sooner cut off my own foot than hurt you," he said. "I still remember that night during my seventh year."

She fought hard not to smile. "Aye, it was a good night, and not one I'd share with many. But you went dark, Sirius. Why'd you take those children?"

"They told you. Werewolves. Two of them. I had to save them."

"Why?"

Black lowered his wand and sat in the same chair as Harry. "It was Peter, Rosie. You've got to believe me. He's alive. He framed me."

"I'd like to believe you, Sirius. But you've made promises before."

"And I would have kept them," Sirius said. He was staring at her open dress. Rosie made no effort to close it up. "I'm going to have to leave soon. The ministry'll be after me. But I really could use something to eat. The trash isn't filling, and Dementors have a habit of stealing a man's appetite."

"Aye, you're skin and bones." She summoned a second tray of scones and watched as Black inhaled them. When he was done, he seemed to collapse in on himself.

"Did you see Harry?" Black whispered. "James's son. Married already."

"Married?" Rosmerta shook her head. Summoning her courage and clearly envisioning a night sixteen years ago, she stepped to Black's side. "Sirius, what really happened?"

She did not know what to expect, but it was not to have the man wrap his arms around her waist, bury his head in her stomach, and cry like a baby. As she stood staring down at him, her hand came down on his hair, and she realized in that instant that he was telling the truth.

Sirius Black was innocent.


	9. The Betrayer

**Chapter Nine: The Betrayer**

Molly Weasley sagged in the family sitting room, staring at the family clock. Arthur called in to that day and sat beside her with his arm nestled around her shoulders. Ron, Percy and the twins were playing a very subdued game of exploding snap. More importantly, Charlie and Bill were both home as well. The two older sons appeared to be playing chess, but in actuality had not moved a piece yet.

Bill arrived with the family the previous night, hoping for a chance to see Ginny. They were met with a terrifying sight—Ginny's hand on the clock told them she was in mortal peril. Then the clock moved to travelling, only to return to mortal peril.

Moments later, word came through the floo from Arthur's friend at the DLME, Kingsley Shacklebolt, that the escaped convict Sirius Black had somehow taken both Ginny and Harry from Harry's home.

Sirius Black.

Just the mention of his name was enough to make Molly shudder. When the Daily Prophet arrived that morning, it already had a terrifying account of the werewolf attack on Privet Drive. The article made it clear that Black was behind the attack and used the attack as a pretext to abduct the Boy-Who-Lived, and a friend of his named Ginevra Weasley who was visiting at the time of the attack.

Molly shuddered again. This creature, this murdering madman, had her precious baby girl.

Charlie arrived before dawn by floo, on leave from his job because of the family emergency, and Molly couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at how the family came together over the news. But it was only a small spark of hope amidst the greater tragedy of Harry and Ginny's absence.

Sometime just after breakfast, the clock moved from Grave Danger to Away. Molly looked at her husband, and Arthur shrugged. "Albus would tell us if they had her," he assured her.

It was approaching lunch when Ginny's hand announced she was travelling. "Arthur, she's moving!" Molly shouted as she jumped to her feet. Nearby, chess pieces fell from the board as Bill and Charlie leaped to their feet.

Suddenly the floo flared, and Molly stood watching in tears as her beautiful baby girl stepped out from the green flame, followed almost instantly by Harry Potter.

"Oh my baby!" Molly cried as she darted across the sitting room and scooped her girl in her arms. Relief flooded through her so powerfully she could not stand, and with her daughter in her hands Molly collapsed to her knees.

Harry stood there with a broad smile on his face, as if it were he being hugged. Arthur, now on his feet, also rushed to his daughter just as Molly noticed Harry. "Oh, Harry!" She pulled him into a neck-snapping hug and Ginny giggled.

She finally held them out at arm's length and started fussing over them. "Are either of you hurt?"

Both shook their heads.

"How'd you get away?" Arthur said.

"Sirius let us go," Harry said.

The whole family went deathly silent. "What's that?" Molly asked.

"He let us go," Harry said. "He didn't attack us; he saved us from the werewolves. The protection on my house didn't work and two werewolves attacked us. Ginny and I killed one…"

"You did," Ginny said.

"It was your spell."

"Children!" Molly said.

"Right," Ginny said. "Sirius attacked the other werewolf. Then he apparated us to Hogsmeade."

"But why?"

"He thought Ginny was a traitor," Harry said. He looked at the two older Weasleys. "He thought you were all traitors for sheltering Peter Pettigrew."

Arthur's face scrunched in confusion. "Pettigrew? Black went to his prison in part for his murder."

"Dad, is Scabbers around here?" Ginny asked.

"He's in my room," Ron said. "What's Scabbers got to do with anything?"

"Sirius said Pettigrew was a rat animagus," Harry said. He looked Arthur in the eye. "I believe him, Mr. Weasley."

"Black is a notorious mass murderer," Molly said.

"He was telling the truth," Ginny added. She looked at Harry, and he nodded.

"His color," Harry said.

Ginny nodded back.

The other family members said nothing for the longest time.

"Well, there's only one thing to do," Arthur said resolutely. He stepped past them, grabbed a handful of powder, and threw it into the fire. "Minister Bones, Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

A moment later a face emerged from the fire. "Arthur? What is happening?"

"Amelia, I'm sorry to bother you, but I should let you know that Sirius Black released my daughter and Harry Potter unharmed and they have returned here to the Burrow. However, some interesting information has come to light. I would very much appreciate it if you and perhaps Auror Shacklebolt would be willing to floo over. I'll be contacting Albus Dumbledore next."

The face seemed to consider him a moment before nodding. "We'll be over in a minute."

The next call went to Dumbledore, just as Arthur promised. The whole family had Ginny and Harry safely surrounded when Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, emerged with Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt on her heels. Just a moment later Dumbledore emerged as well.

"Harry!" the old wizard said with obvious relief. "And Miss Weasley. It is indeed a pleasure to see you both unharmed!"

Arthur turned to Ron. "Go get Scabbers," he said urgently. "Do not say anything. Just go get him."

Ron's eyes widened. His father was not one to snap at them—that was Mum's job, Dad's job was to make them all feel better afterward. He backed away from the gathering in the sitting room and went to his room to fetch Scabbers.

"What's this about, Arthur?" Bones asked.

"Something Harry just told me," Arthur said. He looked around the room until his eyes rested on the headmaster. "Albus, I don't suppose you would be willing to put up an anti-apparition ward, would you?"

"What in Merlin's name for, Arthur?" Shacklebolt said. "Is Black here?"

However, Mr. Weasley did not look away from Albus. "Please," he said again.

"Very well," the professor said. He raised his wand and mumbled an incantation. Just then Ron returned with a very large, old, decrepit-looking rat in his hand. The rat's right forepaw was missing a toe.

"Harry," Arthur said, "would you tell Professor Dumbledore, Auror Shacklebolt and Minister Bones exactly what you just told us?"

Harry was looking at Scabbers, seeing the missing toe for the first time, and didn't get exactly what Mr. Weasley said. It was Ginny's silent reminder that made him blink. "Sorry, sir?"

"What did you tell me?"

"Oh." Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore, then Shacklebolt and Bones. "Sirius told me that he wasn't my parent's secret keeper."

Dumbledore's face remained completely impassive, save for a mild twitch of his left nostril. Shacklebolt's mouth, however, hung open. Minister Bones simply stared at him. "What else did he say, Mr. Potter?" she asked in a tightly controlled voice.

"He said that Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper, and that he went after him right after my parents were killed. He said that Peter cut off his own finger and killed a bunch of muggles, then transformed. He is an ana…er…"

"Animagus," Ginny prompted.

"Yeah, an animagus, and he was rat. Sirius escaped because he saw a picture of Pettigrew in the paper." Harry looked at Scabbers.

Ron was only half listening as he petted the nasty-looking old animal. He looked up to find everyone in the room staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"It's a simple enough spell," Bones said. "Kingsley?"

Shacklebolt pulled his wand, but at that very moment Scabbers bit Ron's finger and fell to the floor and seemed to scurry away. "_Accio_ Scabbers," shouted Percy.

With a tiny squeal, Scabbers flew from his hiding place across the room into Percy's waiting hand. "What?" he said to the stunned expressions. "He was mine before he was Ron's. I know how to find him."

"Well done, Mr. Weasley," Professor Dumbledore said approvingly.

Percy preened as he held the rat firmly. Shacklebolt stepped across the room and flicked his wand over the animal, reciting a spell Harry did not immediately catch. The room fell silent as Scabbers expanded out of Percy's hand, and a loathsome looking little man with over-sized front teeth and a large mole dropped to the floor on all fours. He was fully clothed in an old brown suit.

Pettigrew looked up, sniffing the air much like his animagus form, until his eyes caught sight of Harry. "Harry!" he cried. His voice was high pitched and squeaked. He scrambled across the floor, barely able to get to his feet. "Harry! I was your father's best friend! I would never hurt them. You must believe me, it's all lies, whatever Sirius said!"

"Silence!" Dumbledore roared. Pettigrew spun about, eyes wide with terror before he suddenly stiffened before a _petrificus totalus_ spell silently cast by the headmaster.

"Merlin's beard," Bones whispered. "It IS Peter Pettigrew."

"But how could this be?" Molly asked. "Black was convicted by the whole Wizengamut."

"Don't you remember what it was like, Mrs. Weasley?" Dumbledore whispered, pale and stiff. "People were so bent on vengeance for all the deaths that the trials often were no more than circuses. Known Death Eaters were released under claim of the Imperius Curse, while those who were under the curse were sent to Azkaban. Many were hardly tried at all."

"Black never had a trial," Bones admitted then. "He was caught standing over the bodies of twelve dead muggles and Pettigrew's finger. Two aurors testified they heard Pettigrew demanding to know why Sirius had betrayed the Potters before he died. A trial seemed redundant at the time."

"Perhaps we might wish to reconsider Mr. Black's case," Dumbledore said. "I admit at the time it seemed completely impossible for him to be anything but guilty. I was the one who suggested Mr. Black serve as the Potter's secret keeper. If they had chosen anyone else, I would have thought it would be Remus Lupin."

Dumbledore strode across the sitting room and lifted the spell on Pettigrew. "Peter," he said in an icy voice, "you have once chance for honesty. Were you the secret keeper?"

"I wasn't, I wasn't!" Pettigrew said.

Perhaps it was the intensity with which Harry was staring at Peter, but just like in the chamber of secrets and the Shrieking Shack, he saw the color around the other wizard again. Nearby, Ginny gasped and he could tell that she saw the same thing. She crossed the room and took his hand. "It doesn't look right," she said aloud.

_What does it mean?_

_I think he's lying,_ Ginny thought. "Just like Sirius's color was right."

Harry turned and stared at her. "Really?"

"Can't…" _you tell? Look at this face. The color is flickering, like he's doing something wrong. I think he's lying._

"What are they doing?"

Harry and Ginny looked up at the questioner, and saw Amelia Bones staring at the two of them. "He's lying," Harry said with certainty.

"How do you know?"

"His color is wrong," Ginny said.

"His color?" Bones blinked at them.

"It's like the same color I saw around Ginny in the chamber," Harry said to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore cleared his throat suddenly. "Harry, this color, does it cover his whole body?'

Ginny nodded. "It's around…

"…everyone," Harry finished. "Even around you."

"All your colors are right," Ginny said.

"But his color is wrong," Harry said. "It feels like he's lying."

All eyes turned back to Peter Pettigrew. "I think," Dumbledore said, "that given the circumstances, I have to believe Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley in this case. Mr. Pettigrew, I shall give you one more opportunity to tell us the truth. If we do not believe it, then I'm afraid we will have some difficulty in sheltering you from the dementors of Azkaban."

"Dementors?" Pettigrew's eyes widened.

"Given the fact that you should be dead; given the fact that a man went to Azkaban for almost twelve years in part for your murder; given the fact that you have remained in an illegal animagus form for the same period of time; given all these facts, Mr. Pettigrew, it would be very difficult to convince the Wizengamut that you did not deserve a dementor's kiss. Especially given that I am the chief warlock of said body. Now, I give you one last opportunity. Were you the secret keepr?"

Pettigrew looked from one face to another around the room and saw no pity at all. With a desperate wail he tried once more to escape, only to have Shacklebolt take him to the floor with a swift kick.

"Yes!" Pettigrew at last wailed from the floor. "It's true! I was the secret keeper! It was me. James thought Remus was the spy, so they picked me!'

"Did Sirius Black kill those muggles?" Bones demanded.

"No!" Peter wailed. "He didn't do any of it!"

"That's all I need to hear," Amanda said. "Kingsley, please place Mr. Pettigrew under arrest and take him back to the DMLE." She turned to Dumbledore. "I'm frankly not sure how Cornelius is going to take this. I can't dismiss the charges against Mr. Black on my own authority."

"If the Minister does not wish to offer a pardon, then I'm sure given the new information we've received today, the Wizengamut could be convinced to re-open the case. However, I believe if we were to cast the minister in the role of a crusader for justice, it might appease his conscience. He was, after all, working on Mr. Crouch's recommendations at the time."

"I daresay you're right, Albus," Bones said. "However, Mr. Black will need to give himself up."

"He was at Hogsmeade," Harry said. "He was hiding at the shrieking shack."

Bones looked to Dumbledore, who smile. "Perhaps Madam Rosemerta might be able to shed some light on his whereabouts. And I know just the person to find him. Someone I have been in communication with over this summer regarding the Defense Against the Dark Arts post."

"Can I ask a question?" Harry said.

The adults were on the verge of going about their business and stopped. Ginny turned to Harry and said, "Not now!"

"But…"

"…shouldn't…."

"…when? I want…."

"That is unnerving," Amelia Bones said to everyone in the room. She looked up to the Weasleys. "How are they able to…."

"That's why I wanted to ask," Harry said. "Sirius said he was an auror before he was framed. He did a spell on us and said we were…."

Ginny raised her chin and stared so hard at Harry that he stopped talking and blushed.

"Yes?" Bones asked.

"Perhaps this can wait for another time," Dumbledore said.

"He called us Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Harry blurted out, as if breaking through a barrier.

"What!" Ron and Percy almost shouted. Bill and Charlie just started at their sister.

Bones, however, merely shrugged. "I'm afraid I'm not in that area, Mr. Potter. But I've been in the ministry long enough that I can sense the marriage bond without casting the charm. It is somewhat unusual considering your ages, but I trust Arthur and I'll assume it was for a good reason. Arthur, you may wish to file it, though. Give them some legal protections if nothing else. You weren't aware of this?"

Harry and Ginny both slowly shook there head, and then turned to glare at the headmaster.

Bones, however, had already dismissed the subject as not pertinent. "We're taking the prisoner back for trial. Albus, I'd appreciate it if you can have your man get Sirius to surrender. If he can do so and testify, then we can assure his freedom. Promise him that he will be held safely at the DMLE until Pettigrew's trial."

"Thank you, Amelia," Dumbledore said. Moments later, the Weasley family was alone with Harry and Dumbledore.

"What's this about being married?" Bill finally demanded.

"It's a long story," Dumbledore said.

The professional cursebreaker, only a few years out of school, seemed thoroughly unimpressed. "I have time."

"Bill," Molly said.

The oldest brother turned to his mother. "You knew about this? Is it true, then? Did you sell our sister just to get hold of..."

"That is enough!" Arthur Weasley snapped with absolute, overriding command. "You will not talk to your mother like that! We did not do anything. Harry saved Ginny's life. He saved her very soul. There was just…"

"A complication," Molly added.

"As much as I might wish to be a part of this conversation," Dumbledore said, "time is off the essence. I must return to Hogwarts to contact Professor Lupin and find Black. If you need me, please do not hesitate to contact me." He turned to Bill and Charlie. "I assure you, William, that there was nothing untoward regarding what happened. Harry did not just save young Miss Weasley's life, he came perilously close to death in order to do so. Not out of love or concern, but solely because he felt it was the right thing to do. Remember that in the upcoming discussion before making any judgments. Young Mr. Potter is a true hero worthy to be a part of even your valiant family."

With that, the professor walked to the floo, threw in his powder and disappeared in a flash of green flame.

"I think we had better all sit down," Mr. Weasley said. It was not a suggestion, and so the family all sat. Harry, feeling eight pairs of eyes boring into him, tried to sink into a corner of a couch. However, Ginny resolutely sat by him, grinned evilly, and said, "I told you not to bring it up."

"Yeah, I know," Harry muttered.

"So what's going on?" Bill demanded.

"Last year Ginny was possessed by a dark artifact," Arthur began. "An artifact created by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named during his time at Hogwarts. This object started feeding off her soul. Toward the end of the year, she disappeared into the Chamber of Secrets."

"That was just a myth," Charlie interjected.

"It didn't look like a myth," Harry muttered.

This had the unwanted effect of bringing attention back to him, and he ducked his head.

"Harry was brilliant," Ron said then. "He figured out where it was and how to open it. Did you know he's a parselmouth? But there was a cave in and I couldn't go any further, so he went by himself into the cave even though he knew there was a basilisk."

Charlie jumped to his feet. "There was a basilisk at Hogwarts!" the dragon keeper said. "Is the headmaster insane?"

"Harry fought and killed it, by himself," Arthur said.

Though he spoke quietly, his words whipped everyone into silence. Charlie sat back down, obviously stunned.

"He was bitten as he killed it," Arthur continued, "but fortunately Fawkes was able to heal him. But that's when…" He paused. "Harry, Ginny?"

"Harry could see the book pulling my soul trying to make Tom Riddle come back to life," Ginny said.

"I stabbed the diary with a basilisk fang," Harry said.

"But it just made the book pull harder."

"I jumped on her…"

"…and grabbed my soul his magic…"

"And when it came back…"

"It sort of mixed."

"We soul bonded by accident," Harry and Ginny finished, speaking simultaneously.

Charlie was flushed red, but Bill was simply staring at the two of them. "And it shows up as a marriage bond."

"That's right," Arthur said. "I've not filed it yet, but Amelia was right. The bond is as good as a magical marriage, and so I will submit the certification of such. Legally speaking, Harry and Ginny are Mr. and Mrs. Potter." He turned to Harry. "Albus also explained to me, Harry, that the marriage is why the blood wards on your home failed. The wards recognized the bond as marriage, and by law marriage is an emancipating event if you chose to apply for it."

"What does…?"

"It means we're legally adults," Ginny said.

"Oh."

"Actually," Arthur said, "it means you could file for emancipation based on your marriage status. That, however, we are not going to file just yet. Married or not, Harry, you are still just twelve, and Ginny, you're only eleven."

"So because they are married," Bill said, eyes narrowing, "she's been sleeping with Harry? Even though she's not even twelve yet?"

"No," Arthur said with a sigh. "They sleep together because…"

"What, wait," Ron interjected. "My best mate and my sister are sleeping together?"

"Ron, shush," Molly said.

"As I was saying," Arthur said with a long look at Ron, "they are sleeping together because theirs is a rather unique bond. In fact, technically it's not even a bond."

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

It was Bill, however, who figured it out. "Soul fragments."

Arthur and Molly nodded while the rest of the family stared on in confusion as Bill continued. "According to their story, Ginny's soul was pulled from her body. Harry somehow used his magic to pull it back. But soul magic is finicky. I've dealt with it in curse breaking. Only magic infused with soul energy can effect another soul. For Harry to have pulled on her soul, he would have had to somehow use his own. So when the combined energy came back…"

"Ginny shares a portion of Harry's soul," Arthur confirmed. "And Harry holds a portion of Ginny's. There is no cure for this that Professor Dumbledore or Madam Pomphrey were aware of. The side effects are a physical need for touch."

"It's loads better now," Ginny said. "That first day we had to hold hands even when we went to the loo."

"And taking a bath," Harry said, blushing.

"And we couldn't keep from seeing through each other's eyes," Ginny added. "Harry has a birth mark on his…"

"Don't start, or I'll…."

The family watched as the two launched in a semi-audible argument involving secrets, birthmarks, and cold feet.

"Children, please," Arthur said. He sounded so very tired that Harry and Ginny both stopped. The patriarch looked at this children. "They're ability to communicate with each other is another side-effect of their bond. There may be more, but since nothing like this has ever happened, we don't know for sure."

"So what do we do now?" Harry asked.

"You'll be staying here, of course," Molly said. Her tone brooked no argument. "We'll be glad to have you."

"And all things considered," Arthur said, "I think it best we keep this quiet."

"Yeah, like I'm going to go bragging that my little sister is married," Ron muttered.

"Ron, I didn't mean…" Harry started.

It was Ginny, though, who tore into him. "Ronald Bilius Weasley," she said, channeling their mother so well even Molly blinked in surprise, "did you hear any of what we just said? Harry saved my life. He gave up a piece of his soul to save me. Even if it is weird, I'll never forget that. And if you forget it, you'll find spiders in your bed again!"

"Ginny!" Molly said. The twins started laughing.

Harry looked around, and did not see fear or anger.

He saw his family.


	10. The Happy Couple

**Chapter Ten: The Happy Couple**

Remus Lupin stood on the doorstep and took a deep breath to steady himself. He straightened the collar on his shirt, buttoned up his worn, threadbare jacket, and stepped into the Three Broomsticks.

He knew the establishment was closed. Madame Rosemerta always took Sunday mornings off, not opening until the mid- to late afternoon for dinner. He was not surprised therefore to find the room completely empty, save for two empty trays sitting on the only table with its chairs down.

He walked in silence through the common room until he reached the stairs that led up to Rosie's personal room.

It seemed the most logical place. Before everything went wrong, Remus knew that Sirius had a thing for the famed innkeeper. Rosmerta was almost fifteen years older than Sirius, but those years made her sexy in a way none of the other girls in school could match. Her figure made her the most favored witch in all of Hogsmeade. The fact that she enthusiastically displayed her curves as a tool to entice business merely proved the business acumen that went with the beauty.

But with Sirius it was different. To Remus' lycanthropic nose, he smelled and sensed more than just passing interest in Rosie. He knew she reciprocated Sirius's affection. It just wasn't to be.

Still, standing now in the tavern, he could smell something no normal nose would have sensed. It was the smell of stale sweat, fear, desperation, and sex.

He followed the scent up the stairs to a door at the end of a long, unlit hall. He removed his wand from his picket, took one more deep breath, and stepped into the bedroom of Madame Rosmerta.

"What the bloody 'ell are you doing here!" she shouted instantly. She sat up in bed, not even bothering to cover herself. Beside her, a man kicked up his heels and jumped from the bed, starkers, with a wand in his hand.

Remus stared back at the man he once counted as his best friend. "Sirius," he said. "So it's true."

"Remus Lupin," Black snarled. "I should kill you where you stand."

Lupin lowered his wand. "Maybe you should," he said. "I believed you were guilty. In one night, I lost all three of my best mates. My whole world, Sirius. But I was wrong."

Sirius didn't lower his wand, but Remus could see a light in his eyes. "Pettigrew?"

"The moment Harry got back," Remus said. "Arthur Weasley called Amelia Bones personally, and did it before they tried to expose him. Dumbledore was there as well. They got him, and he confessed. He confessed to it all."

Black simply collapsed to the floor, sobbing with relief. By this time, Rosmerta had given up on any hope of privacy and had simply thrown her old work dress on. She grabbed Black's coat and draped it over his shoulder as Remus knelt beside him.

"There's going to be a trial," Remus explained. "We need you to surrender to Bones. She vowed you would stay the DMLE until you were completely exonerated."

Sirius looked up. "It's a trick, isn't it? Just a trick to make me surrender."

"It isn't a trick," Remus said. "I'll stay with you."

"Aye, Sirius, I will too," Rosmerta said. "The Inn'll keep for a day."

He looked up at her. "You'll come?"

"Aye, lad. I'll come."

"But first," Remus said, "a shave and a shower. And some better clothes."

"A shower sounds good," Black admitted. He looked up at Remus and Rosmerta. "You'll stay? You promise."

"We promise, my friend," Remus said with a sad, gentle smile.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

"So Harry's going to be sleeping in Ginny's room, in Ginny's bed?" It was the fourth time Bill had casually mentioned that fact. "And you're okay with this, Mum?"

The two of them were alone in the kitchen. The rest were in the back after a late lunch.

"Oh Bill, please, it's hard enough."

"Just remembering what I was like at thirteen," Bill said. "And then at fourteen, and fifteen. He may be an angel, but he's still a boy. And he's going to be waking up in bed next to my little sister."

Molly slammed a dish to the counter, and then threw her hands up in disgust when the plate broke. She repaired it with a charm. "Bill, don't you think this has all occurred to me? That for all intents and purposes my little girl is married to a boy she hardly knows outside of her bedtime stories? In the hospital wing right after the accident, Arthur said they would stay up bickering with each other, until they fell asleep. Then he said he'd see them sleeping together like angels in the morning." She pointedly looked away from her son and wiped an eye. "But I'll tell you this—Harry spent some time with us last summer, and Ron's been writing about him for two years now. He is a good boy. He really is. I have to trust that he won't do anything he's not supposed to."

"Mom, you're assuming he'll actually be able to control himself."

"Stop it!" Molly said. She took a deep, steadying breath. "It's done," she whispered. "It can't be severed. If you saw them right after, when they couldn't even let go of each other without the pain. Or the way they passed out that first day when they could go without touching for a while. There's just no help for it."

"And if it goes too far someday?"

"I'm not going to talk about this any more," she said. Finally, she turned to her oldest son. "And neither are you, not to me, them, or anyone else. Promise, me, Bill."

"Mother…"

"Promise!"

"I promise."

She nodded, and walked quickly out of the kitchen. Bill followed at a more leisurely pace and stopped at the door leading to the garden.

Harry and Ron were talking quidditch. Ron was illustrating some move or another with his hands, getting a little violent as he did so. Harry sat across from Ron, and right next to him sat Ginny. She was sitting so close, in fact, that their legs were touching. However, neither of them seemed to even notice the contact.

Then Harry got up, walked over to a nearby chest and removed a glass of butterbeer and popped the lid. He sat back down and handed the bottle to Ginny.

She didn't say a word, and Ron never stopped talking.

"It's strange, isn't it, son?"

Bill turned to his father. "I've been watching him all afternoon," Arthur said. "He's been waiting on her hand and foot, and yet I don't think she's had to ask for a thing. She's done the same for him. I know they're talking through that bond of theirs, but it is strange to watch."

"You have no problem with it all then?"

"I won't say that, Bill. But I've raised six boys and like to think I'm a fair judge of a boy's character." He nodded to Harry. "He killed a forty-foot basilisk. He killed it and suffered a terrible injury to save her. He did it because he is a hero. He did it because he loves those around him enough to sacrifice himself for them."

"So that makes it okay to sleep with your daughter?"

Bill knew he was pushing. He saw his father's jaw clench.

"Harry is my son in law," Athur finally said. "Magically, and as of this morning when I signed the certificate and sent it in, legally. That bond cannot be severed. I don't fear for her virtue, because they are virtuous kids. I fear for their happiness. If they prove not to be able to resist temptation? Well, they won't be the first teenagers to go down that path. You of all people should know that, Bill. They'll simply be the first to be married when it happens."

At his father's reminder of a certain owl he received during Bill's fourth year, the eldest son smiled and looked back to Ginny. "Hear he's a fair quidditch player."

"Youngest seeker in a century. He hasn't lost a game yet."

"Well then, we'd better test that, hadn't we?" Bill pushed off from the door frame. "All right, kids," he said. "Quidditch time. Shall we do young against old, or good players against Ron and Potter?"

"What?" Ron sputtered. "You are on!"

"Then get the brooms!" Bill said. "Me and Charlie get Fred. Harry and Ron, you get George."

"And Ginny!" Harry said.

The boys stopped. "Ginny doesn't play," Charlie said.

"You wouldn't ever let her," Harry said. "But she's been sneaking rides on your brooms since she was six."

"Harry!" Ginny hissed.

"Okay, you get Ginny. Four on three still doesn't seem fair," Bill said. "Dad, you want to give them a hand?"

"No, you kids have fun," Arthur said.

Several important things were learned that afternoon in the Weasley family. The first was that even on the old Weasley brooms, Harry truly was an extraordinary flier. Second, Ginny was nearly as good. Thirdly, when two players were able to communicate telepathically, they made a fearsome team.

Bill and Charlie both played for Gryffindor, and Fred, like his twin, was an able beater. However, the twins spent much of the time slamming the bludger back and forth at each other, laughing maniacally as they did so. So it fell to Ron as Keeper and Ginny and Harry as chasers to go against Bill and Charlie.

The older brothers never had a chance.

As Arthur and Molly watched, bemused, Ginny and Harry flew circles around their beleaguered brothers. That's not to say the score wasn't evenly distributed. Charlie was an able keeper, while Ron had lots of room for improvement. But no matter what tactics he employed, Bill could not get the quaffle out of Harry's or Ginny's hands, and the two were able to make blind passes at top speed even professional players would have had a hard time matching.

Eventually, they called the game at dinner time when Harry's team led by thirty points.

They were all pleasantly surprised when Professor Dumbledore emerged from the floo right before dinner. The elderly wizard accepted the offer of dinner and joined them in the back for an evening meal. Only once they were done eating did he mention his reasons for the second visit.

"I wanted to let you know, Harry, that Professor Lupin was able to find Mr. Black," he said. "They have gone together to the DMLE and Sirius surrendered to Amelia Bones. They've scheduled a trial for Mr. Pettigrew for Friday."

Harry looked around at everyone at the table, then back to Dumbledore. "Could I go?"

"I anticipated you might wish to attend," he said. "In fact, you may even be asked to give testimony." Before either of them were able to open their mouths, though, Dumbledore looked at Ginny. "However, Miss Weasley, I think it best if you were to stay here. Mr. Weasley can accompany Harry to the trial."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"It may be inadvisable to advertise the fact that Miss Weasley was with you," Dumbledore said. "It would be better if your bond was not widely known."

"You act as if it's something to be ashamed of," Harry said. His cheeks had reddened.

"No, Harry," Dumbledore said with a sad smile, "I act is if the public knowledge of your bond could possible endanger Miss Weasley. The attack on your relative's house is an unfortunate illustration of my fears."

The blush faded to bone white. Harry looked over at Ginny, his lips forming an "oh". "Right, sorry," he mumbled.

"I would also like to take the liberty, while I am here, to work on your wards, Arthur. Perhaps William you could assist me. I understand you have become quite accomplished both at curse breaking and warding."

"It'd be a pleasure, Professor," Bill said.

"Excellent. In the meantime, Harry, I have had Hogwarts elves collect the things you and Miss Weasley left at the Dursleys. I daresay there is no longer any advantage in returning there."

Harry's face suddenly lit up. "You mean I don't have to go back ever!"

"No, Harry. Your bond has annulled the wards."

Harry suddenly sunk into himself as a thought occurred to him. Ginny huffed impatiently. "Of course you can stay here, you dolt! What'd you think they were going to… Well that's just… Don't you….Ugh!" Then she leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek before leaving the table. "Boys are so stupid!"

"We'll be happy to have you, Harry," Arthur said with an amused smile at his daughter. "Even if not for Ginny's sake, we'd be glad to have you."

"Thank you, sir."

After Dumbledore and Bill finished their work on improving the wards for the Burrow and the elder wizard returned to Hogwarts, the family cleaned up from dinner. Harry volunteered to do dishes and Ginny helped, while the older boys put up the tables and banished any refuse. After an evening listening to the wireless and playing exploding snap, they slowly prepared for bed, one at a time. Ginny, as the youngest, was the first. Harry and Ron followed after Ginny's turn in the bathroom.

With so many people and only two functional loos, the younger kids all bathed at night, saving water and space for the older family members in the morning. When Harry emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas, he let Arthur lead him back down the stairs to Ginny's first floor bedroom.

His trunk and things were already there, along with hers. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting for him. Her hair was dry, but in need of a good combing. Harry's fingers twitched when he saw the comb in her hand.

He stepped across the room to his daughter and kissed her forehead. "Good night, darling."

"'Night, Dad."

"Good night, Harry."

"Good night, sir."

When they were alone and their door was shut, Harry crossed the room and took his place behind Ginny. Her bed was a little smaller than what they shared at Privet Drive, but it was very soft and comfortable.

He started combing his hair. "I never thought I'd get away from the Dursleys."

_It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be._

"That's because…" _they were nice. I've never seen Aunt Petunia act like that before. Never. She acted almost like she liked you._

_Maybe she did._

_Maybe. _

_Did you ever see pictures of your family?_

Harry sent her a vision of his nights staring at the Mirror of Erised. She nodded, and then he heard her sniffle a little and realized he shared more than just the vision, but also the intense desire for his family that went with it.

"You know you have a family now," Ginny whispered. "We're your family."

Harry started running the comb through the family. "And it's brilliant," he said fervently. "Your family is just brilliant."

"Our family," Ginny corrected him. "We all love you."

"Don't think Bill does."

"He's my favorite brother," she said. "He's afraid you'll take advantage of me."

"Like you'd let that happen," Harry muttered. "You'd just kick me with those cold feet of yours."

"Oh really? And what about the time your hand was on my tummy?"

"Didn't mean to."

"I know, Harry. I know when you mean to do things and when you don't. Just like I don't mean to put my cold feet on your shins."

Silence. "Ginny, you DO mean to put your cold feet on my shins. You squirrel them into my pants legs."

"Not the same thing," Ginny said airily.

He kept combing with one hand, as another slyly reached down and nipped her ribs. Ginny jumped with a squeal, and then spun around with wide eyes. "Harry James Potter, did you just try to tickle me?"

"Didn't just try," Harry said bravely.

"Oh, you are going to pay for that, young man!"

Just outside the hall, Molly stood listening with closed eyes. They opened when the room erupted in squeals of laughter. She opened the door and looked in to see saw Ginny straddling Harry, who was curled up in a fetal position laughing so hard he was crying. Molly covered her mouth when suddenly Ginny flew off the bed and floated in the air above it.

"Er, Harry, are you doing this?"

Harry stared up at the girl floating two feet above him. "I think so."

"Did you meant to?"

"I wanted to get you off so I could breathe and tickle you back."

"Is this like what happened when you blew Sirius Black off his feet?"

"Yeah. Happened with the Dursleys too. Uncle Vernon said some mean things about you before you came over."

"Can you put me down?"

Harry raised a hand and motioned it down. Ginny floated down. "Wow, that was incredible!" she whispered. "That was wandless magic!"

"You sure it wasn't accidental?"

"No! You controlled it to keep me from falling. That was wandless." She bounced up and down. "Harry, you have to be really powerful to be able to do wandless magic like that so young."

In the hall, Molly was nodding her head. She couldn't do any wandless magic at all, and she was considered a reasonably powerful witch. Breaking herself from her shock, she knocked on the door and stepped inside. Harry and Ginny both sat on the bed.

"Were we being too loud?" Ginny asked.

"You weren't being quiet, that's for sure," Molly said. "Just came to give you your nighty-nights is all, dears." She leaned over and hugged Ginny, then kissed her. She reached for Harry but paused when he winced and ducked away.

"Harry…"

"Er, sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said quickly.

He straightened and let her give him a hug. "I don't want either of you to stay up too late. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," they called to her.

When she left, she went straight to the sitting room where Arthur, Bill and Charlie were sharing a late night cup of tea. She joined them and drained her cup.

"Molly, dear, what's wrong?" Arthur said.

"Harry levitated Ginny."

"And you said he was a good boy?" Bill said. "Sill using his magic between terms is not good."

"He didn't mean to. He did it wandlessly. And he wandlessly lowered her back down."

The Weasley men stared at her as she poured herself another cup of tea. "Sure it wasn't just accidental magic?" Bill finally asked.

"He lowered her down very gently to the bed," Molly said. "With a hand motion. That's not accidental."

"Thirteen year old boys are not supposed to be able to do wandless magic," Charlie said.

"Then again," Arthur said, "Harry is no ordinary thirteen-year-old either. He is the Boy Who Lived. He's already faced Voldemort three times and killed a Basilisk. I guess it shouldn't be such a surprise that he can do a few unusual things."

No one could disagree.


	11. Trials and Tribulations

**Chapter Eleven: Trials and Tribulations**

Dressed in his school robes since he literally had nothing better to wear, Harry and Mr. Weasley left early the next morning for the Ministry of Magic.

They did not arrive via the public entrance, but rather flooed directly in. As the two of them stepped (or stumbled, in Harry's case) from one of the many fireplaces that lined the entrance, Harry found himself in an impossibly large cavern filled with level after level of offices.

Harry saw witches and wizards of every description; goblins walked along in groups, dressed like 19th century bankers while discussing the shares of Zonkos. Men and women clumped together talking earnestly about cauldrons or dragon skin tariffs or other equally strange things, never looking anyone else in the face as they scurried from one place to the other.

Overhead, paper airplanes soared about like guided missiles, pulled aloft by magic and intent. It was the strangest place Harry had ever been in his thirteen years of life.

Arthur Weasley threaded the ministry like a true expert. He kept a hand firmly on Harry's shoulder as they weaved through the clumps of officials and petitioners, goblins and ministers. Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

The glass walls and door looked strangely modern compared to the last-century look of most of the rest of the ministry. A young, attractive woman with bright pink hair looked up from a roll of parchment she was reading at the front desk.

"Wotcher, Arthur," she said brightly. "This 'Arry, then?"

"It is indeed," Mr. Weasley said. "Harry, this is Auror Cadet Nymph…excuse me, Auror Tonks."

Harry had noted a spot of color on her cheeks when the first name started to come out; it was quickly replaced by a happy smile when Mr. Weasley corrected himself.

"Tonks, this is Harry Potter."

"Wotcher, Harry."

"Er, Hello."

"I've been assigned to be your escort through the trial. You ready to go?"

Harry looked over his shoulder at Arthur, who nodded. "Tonks is a friend," he assured the boy.

Harry turned back to Tonks and nodded resolutely. With a smile to Arthur, Tonks took Harry's hand and started pulling him at a break-neck pace down the long halls of magical justice.

Once inside, the façade of modernism died a quick and efficient death. The offices had huge, bulky wooden desks filled with quills and rolls of parchment, and message tubes. Some contained pensieves. Finally, though, they left behind the officers, wandered through a labyrinthine series of halls, and ended up at a door leading down into a large amphitheatre.

The place was already filled. On the far side from Harry sat dozens of men and women in rich violet robes. At a podium in their center stood Albus Dumbledore, also in a dark violet robe that was a sharp break from his normal attire.

"He's the chief warlock of the Wizengamot," Tonks explained to Harry in a soft voice. "'S why I had to come with you. He'd do it himself if he could. Come on, they have a seat near the floor for potential witnesses."

Again taking Harry's hand, she led him down a steep set of stairs between rows of spectators. At first, people didn't realize who was passing them. But someone must have seen his scar, because after five steps he heard people whispering his name throughout the chamber.

Finally, he and Tonks arrived at their seat just up from the floor of the chamber. The floor itself held two simple wooden desks and four chairs, with a raised podium lined in wooden rails in the center. One desk was already occupied. The two occupants stood when they heard the whispering of his name.

One of them Harry did not recognize—the other he knew immediately.

"Harry Potter," Sirius Black said with a happy grin. His beard was trimmed into a tight goatee. His long, lanky hair had been washed and trimmed as well, though he continued to wear it long. He wore new black slacks and a spotless white shirt, with a black formal jacket over it.

He stepped to the edge of the amphitheater and held up a hand. Hesitantly, Harry took it. "I'm getting my day in court for the first time in twelve years, Harry," Sirius gushed. "All because of you. I will never be able to thank you enough."

"You're welcome," Harry managed to get out. "You did save us from that werewolf."

"Speaking of," Sirius said with a fragile laugh, "I'd like you to meet the other Marauder. Harry, this is Remus Lupin. Like me, he was one of your father's best friends. Remus, this is Harry."

"I would have known regardless," the sad-faced Lupin said. He reached through the rail and shook Harry's hand as well. "You are a spitting image of James, except for…"

"His mother's eyes," Sirius finished.

"I get that a lot," Harry said.

"I bet you do. I look forward to working with you next term, Harry. I've been hired on as your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Harry blinked. "Brilliant! You'll be loads better than that git Lockhart. He vanished the bones in my arm trying to fix a break last year!"

"Yes, well, that allows me the comfort of knowing I can't do any worse than my predecessor," Lupin said with a laugh.

In the stands, Dumbledore rapped a gavel. "This session of the Wizengamot will come to order."

The myriad conversations around the amphitheatre came to a lingering end. "Bring out the accused," Dumbledore said.

Two aurors in scarlet robes brought out Peter Pettigrew. The man was clad in a gray jumpsuit with charmed manacles on his ankles and wrists. He shuffled out from a side entrance onto the floor with his eyes down. He sat at the other table. A moment later, an officious little man with wizard's hat covering his bald spot walked out with a leather satchel and sat beside Pettigrew.

"Madam Bones," Dumbledore said, "who will speak for the prosecution?"

"Since I personally heard items that could be considered evidence, Rufus Scrimgeour will speak for the prosecution," Bones said. "I will also abstain from the vote so that I may testify."

"Very good," Dumbledore said. "Then we shall begin. Let the records show that we gather here today to address two grievous instances of injustice. The first item we shall consider is the case of Peter Pettigrew. Mr. Pettigrew is charged with aiding and abetting Lord Voldemort in his assassination of James and Lily Potter during the first war; of joining the Dearth Eaters by right of his betrayal; of the murder of twelve muggles; and of the framing of Sirius Black for said murders. The second case stems from the first; that is, the case of Sirius Black, who was sentenced without trial to a life term in Azkaban for the murder of Peter Pettigrew, and the twelve muggles already mentioned. To begin, does the defendant Mr. Pettigrew have anything to say?"

The little man stood. "Hastilan Greaves, Advocate for the defendant. My client denies any involvement in either the Death Eaters or the deaths of those muggles. He further denies he was involved in any way in the deaths of James and Lily Potter."

Harry saw Sirius begin to rise of out his seat with an angry flush, but Lupin held him back and quickly whispered into his ear.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Then let the trial begin. Mr. Scrimgeour, you may call your first witness."

Rufus Scrimgeour appeared from a side entrance as if waiting just for that entrance. He was a tall, gaunt, angry-looking man with a bowler and a bow tie that clashed horridly with his tan-colored coat. "I call Peter Pettigrew to testify."

Pettigrew stood from the table and moved to the center of the room. Harry watched as a podium with a railing rose from the floor. Pettigrew stepped on the platform. "Mr. Pettigrew," Scrimgeour began, "did you, or did you not, in front of Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt and Minister Amelia Bones herself, admit that you in fact killed the twelve muggles, betrayed the Potters and cut off your own finger in an attempt to frame Sirius Black?"

Pettigrew seemed to sink in on himself and pointed at Dumbledore. "Dumbledore said I was going to get the Dementor's kiss if I didn't confess. I would'a said anything after that. But I didn't do it. James was my best friend. I would never have betrayed him."

Scrimgeour stared at Pettigrew as if slapped. Sirius, though, reacted much more strenuously. "You lying little rat!" he screamed. "Tell them the truth, Peter! Tell them!"

However, the effect of Peter's testimony on the Wizengamot was definitely not welcome. Many of the members were staring at Dumbledore, who stood looking at Pettigrew with an impassive face.

"Naturally," the chief warlock said, "I too will abstain from any vote on this issue."

The statement seemed to shake Scrimgeour from his shock. "So, Pettigrew, explain to me what did happen then twelve years ago."

"Black chased after me," Pettigrew said. "Thought he was going to kill me, I did. He was shooting spells of left and right. When he shot a spell that killed those muggles, I knew he was going to do it, too. So I cut off my finger hoping to fool him, and transformed into a rat to escape."

"For twelve years," Scrimgeour said.

"I figured if Black thought I did it, then the rest of Dumbledore's group would too. I was afraid they'd kill me. So I stayed hid."

"For twelve years," Scrimgeour said. "You know the Dark Lord was destroyed. Why did you not come to me or anyone else with the Ministry?"

"Like you could've stopped Dumbledore from killing me," Peter said with a snort. "I'd a been dead before the trial."

Harry looked around the people. Many were nodding as they whispered. "Even I know he's lying," Harry said. "Why can't these people see it?"

He must have spoken a little too loudly. Several pairs of eyes turned to glare at him.

"I've had enough of this," Scrimgeour said with disgust. "Go back to your table."

Pettergrew returned to his table, and moments later Sirius Black took the stand. The man told the story of what happened. "James and I suspected there was a traitor," he explained. "To my shame, we thought it might be our friend Remus. When Voldemort targeted James and his family, we put him under the Fidelius charm. James wanted me to be the secret keeper, but I was such an obvious choice I was afraid Voldemort might get the secret out of me. So I convinced James and Lily to make Peter the secret keeper. When I arrived that night, and saw what had happened, I knew it had to have been Peter. I hunted him down, I admit it. I wanted to kill him. My best friend, the man I considered my brother, was dead with his wife. I wanted revenge. But I never got it. When I reached Peter, he sent a blasting charm into a group of muggles, cut off his own finger, then screamed out 'Why did you do it, Sirius? Why did you betray James?'" He then transformed into a rat and escaped."

"So you knew he was an animagus?"

"I did."

"And you are as well?"

"I am."

"Please sit."

Bones was next. She recited her memories of Black's first trial, or the lack thereof. Then she described the discovery of Pettigrew in the Weasley's home. "At first he denied it, naturally. However, upon further prompting he admitted everything. While Dumbledore mentioned the possibility of Azkaban, it is my belief as the head of the DMLE that Pettigrew's confession was genuine."

"Thank you. I have no witnesses at this time."

Next came Greaves, who called Amelia back to the witness stand. "Madame Bones, can you describe what further prompting you used to force my client to confess to his crimes? Isn't it true that Professor Dumbledore threatened him with a dementor's kiss?"

"When we determined he was being less than truthful, that was mentioned, yes."

"You had veritaserum with you, then? How could you determine he was being less than truthful."

"I believe one of the persons present during the confession was an aura reader. They indicated that the color of his aura was that of a man telling a lie."

Harry had not watched a lot of television, but he had seen a few American courtroom dramas. He was waiting for the advocate to scoff at the idea. But then he remembered this was a trial of a wizard.

"That is a singularly unique skill, Madame Bones," the man said. "I think for the betterment of all wizard kind, you would wish to reveal the name of such a person."

"The reader is a minor, and so I am not at liberty to name them."

"A minor? I don't think so, Madame Bones. You see, I know who the supposed 'reader' was, and I know for a fact that legally speaking he is no longer a minor. Is it not true that the supposed 'reader' is none other than Sirius Black's own godson, Harry Potter?"

The whole chamber erupted in loud, angry voices. More eyes stared at Harry, and beside him he noted Tonks holding her wand firmly.

"You have just violated the statute for the protection of under…"

"Excuse me, Madame, but I have not. I have checked with Ministry records and confirmed that Harry Potter is legally an adult through magical marriage. The certificate was signed by the bride's father himself based on a magical marriage bonding."

Once more the chamber exploded, and once more eyes sought Harry out.

"The ministry records that Mr. Potter formed a marriage bond with one Ginevra Weasley last month. While both Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter are very young, the bond itself could serve as an emancipating act. Therefore, I again wish you to confirm if in fact Harry Potter was the reader."

Bones glanced over her shoulder at Harry. He looked back, and thought he understood her expression. She looked back to Greaves. "He was the reader."

"And so you took the word of a then twelve-year-old boy, the godson of the felon who was jailed for a crime he now accuses my client of committing, that Mr. Pettigrew was lying. Madame, you are a minister and the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Did you not question even for a second the veracity of Mr. Potter's statements, or his relationship with Sirius Black?"

"I believed then, as I believe now, that Mr. Potter was telling the truth. Just as I believe that Mr. Black is telling the truth."

"Do you believe this because you truly think Pettigrew is innocent, or because you feel wretched for sending Black to Azkaban without trial?"

"Enough!" Dumbledore said with a firm rap of his gavel. "Madame Bones is not on trial here."

"Perhaps she should be," Greaves said. He spun around to Dumbledore. "And perhaps you should be as well."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said. "And perhaps your client would be glad to testify under Veritaserum."

Greaves froze.

"It seems to me that much of the evidence of either side is purely circumstantial," Dumbledore said. "The only person who could say for certain outside of the two defendants as to who was the secret keeper is James Potter. Since he is sadly unavailable for testimony, the next best way to get the truth is to force it. May I remind all here that this court is not a muggle court of law. You do not have the right to lie or withhold testimony, Mr. Petigrew. You do not have any protection against self incrimination. It is your duty as a wizard to tell the truth, and should you fail to do so, it is our duty to find the truth by magical persuasion if necessary. The truth will out regardless. "

Dumbledore looked about the chamber. "One of these men is lying. That much is obvious. And so I propose both be required to testify under Veritaserum. Do I have a second?"

"I second," a voice called from the far end of the amphitheatre.

"In order to enforce binding testimony, we must have a majority vote. As my own role in this trial has been questioned, I abstain, as will Madam Bones. Let us see a show of hands. All in favor of veritaserum vote now.'

"All against?"

Dumbledore nodded. "The ayes have it, albeit it with a smaller vote than I would expect given the very basic nature of the issue. Madam Bones, you are excused from the witness stand for the purpose of obtaining and administering the veritaserum."

"Yes, Chief Warlock," Bones said. She left the podium and hurried out.

"In the meantime," Dumbledore said, "Mr. Greaves, I am censoring you for your reckless disregard for the safety of two children. Regardless of their legal status, they are indeed children and to be protected by all responsible adults. Although the marriage may act as an emancipating event, neither child nor those who care for them have petitioned for such emancipation. Therefore in the eyes of this court they are still minors. I hereby fine you five thousand galleons. You will pay before the end of business today, or you will be remanded to custody until such time as the fine is paid."

Greaves turned a bright shade of red, as if he were about to explode, but he said nothing as he walked to Pettigrew's side and sat down.

Bones appeared a moment later—they were in the DMLE, after all. "Who should we dose first, Chief Warlock?" she asked.

"Mr. Scrimgeour?"

"I wish to once again call Peter Pettigrew to the stand."

"There you have it, Madam Bones."

"You can't make me take it!" Peter shouted suddenly. He jumped to his feet to flee, only to have the two aurors behind him slam him firmly back to his seat. They forced his jaw open, and Amelia Bones carefully placed three drops on his tongue.

She then stepped back and watched as Pettigrew at first reddened in rage and fear, then became slightly droopy-eyed. She nodded, and his auror escort led him back to the podium.

"What is your name?" Scrimgeour asked, testing the serum.

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Are you an animagus?"

"Yes."

"Were you the secret keeper for the Potter Fidelius Charm?"

Peter scrunched his face with great effort, and said, "No."

"Were you the secret keeper for the Potter Fidelius Charm?" Scrimgeour asked again, louder this time.

"Nnnn….yyyeeessss!"

The effort to lie left Pettigrew gasping, and the audience in the chamber began whispering fervently amongst themselves.

"Did you kill the twelve muggles on November 1, 1981?"

"Yeesssss."

"Did you cut off your own finger in an attempt to frame Sirius Black for the betrayal of the Potters and the murder of the muggles and yourself?"

"Yes."

"And finally, Mr. Pettigrew, are you a death eater of your own accord?"

"Yes."

"Was Lucius Malfoy…"

"How DARE YOU!" Harry looked up to see Lucius Malfoy standing from the midst of the ministers. He had a wand in his hand.

"As interesting as Mr. Pettigrew's answer might be," Dumbledore said, "Mr. Malfoy is correct in his indignation, Mr. Scrimgeour. Lucius Malfoy is neither on trial here, nor has he in any way been implicated in the events of that day."

"I withdraw my question," Scrimgeour said stiffly.

By this time, Sirius Black's testimony was a formality, but a necessary one. Harry sat on the edge of his seat when the Wizengamot voted overwhelmingly to absolve Sirius Black of all charges. They then voted overwhelmingly to sentence Pettigrew to receive the Dementor's Kiss in Azkaban.

The little wizard screeched frantically as he was dragged away.

Sirius stood, beaming. "We did it!" he said to Lupin. "I'm free!"

Beside Harry, Tonks leaned over. "Married already, huh? Too bad. You're very cute. Couple of years, you'd be downright delectable."


	12. A Good Gift

**Chapter Twelve: A Good Gift**

While Harry was away at the trial, Ginny spent the day puttering around the house. Charlie had already returned to his job in Romania on the dragon preserve. Bill, however, lingered for a while yet.

She knew her favorite brother was watching her, and she knew why.

However, the images she was getting from Harry took up much of her attention, and finally she gave up trying to concentrate on anything and just went outside. The morning was thick and humid with the passage of a brief morning shower, and the rocks around the pond were still wet when she picked one and sat down.

She was not surprised when Bill sat down beside her a few moments later. "What's up?" he asked.

"Pettigrew's denied everything and he's trying to make it look like Professor Dumbledore forced him to confess."

Bill blinked. "Er, what?"

"Harry's showing me what's happening at the trial."

"Oh. So he's just telling to in your mind what's going on?"

"No, I'm watching what's going on through his eyes. He's a little embarrassed because he's with a really pretty auror named Tonks. He's embarrassed that he thinks she's pretty. I've told him not to worry about it, since she really is."

"What else is he feeling?"

"He's thirsty, but he doesn't want to get up in front of everybody for a drink. He's also hot. The courtroom is very warm. Now they're questioning Minister Bones."

"This connection, Ginny, does it hurt?"

She blinked away the trial. "What? Oh, well, if we don't touch enough at night it does. It's embarrassing for both of us the way we wake up. But if we don't sleep real close when we wake up we have a bad headache all day, and we have to go to bed early or we might collapse."

"Close? What do you mean?"

"Bill, it's okay."

"Ginny, it's really not. Look, I'm your big brother. I love you, and I want to look after you."

"I know." She leaned over and hugged him. "But you weren't there when Tom tried to steal my soul. Harry was. Good thing, too. Waking up to Harry is bad enough. If you and I had to sleep like that I think I'd die."

Bill shook his head. "I just remember all those stories you asked for about THE Harry Potter."

"And you know what?" Ginny asked. "He's even better than the boy in those stories. I can feel his mind. I know what he's thinking. He's the most unselfish person I've ever met. He's brave and kind. He believes in right and wrong and he'd do anything to keep someone from hurting. When you think about how he was abused growing up, it's amazing he isn't less than what he is."

"Abused, huh?"

Ginny shrugged. Then she stood, paling. "Oh no!"

"What is it?"

"They know about Harry and me!" Ginny said. "The lawyer just announced it to the whole Wizengamot that Harry and I are married!"

"I'm sure it's okay," Bill said. "Why don't we head back in?"

The two of them started walking back inside when Molly burst out the back door. "Get inside!" she said in a whisper as loud as most shouts. "There are two reporters outside asking to speak to Mrs. Potter!"

/o\/o\/o\/o\

The news hit the wizarding world like a tsunami. Harry Potter, married at age twelve. The _Daily Prophet_ speculated it was a ploy by Albus Dumbledore to exempt Harry from the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. Another article editorialized that it further showed how far Dumbledore had fallen that two young students could somehow form a bond at Hogwarts while on his watch. One article went so far as to claim it was an attempt by the notoriously poor Weasley family to access the Potter fortune.

The _Quibbler_ praised Harry's hairstyle and wished the young couple a long and fruitful life free from nargles or heliopaths.

The squad of reporters that made camp on the edge of the Burrow's ward lines lasted for nearly a week before they realized that no one in the Weasley household was going to respond.

Neither Harry nor Ginny left the house during that time, and for that week tempers were frayed to their breaking point. Fortunately, Bill finally had to return to work, so his disapproving eye was lifted from Harry. However, Harry knew that the other Weasleys were watching him like a hawk around Ginny.

The constant attention was driving him spare. He was used to being left to his own devices or being made to do chores. And despite Ron's moaning, pulling garden gnomes was not that hard or time consuming.

The nights were just as frustrating. Whatever pattern he and Ginny established during their nights at Privet Drive was completely wrecked by Arthur and Molly constantly checking on them. On more than one occasion, Harry or Ginny would wake to the sensation of being watched, and sure enough, either Molly or Arthur would be standing at the edge of the door, peering in at them.

Finally, though, the reporters went away, and Harry and Ginny were allowed a semblance of normalcy.

Just in time for a very important date to be fast approaching.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked early one morning while Ginny was in the bathroom.

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you think I'll have a chance to buy Ginny a birthday gift?"

"What? Oh dear, you don't have to."

"I think I do," Harry said. Since his stay began, he had never actually stood up to Molly or Arthur before. But when she turned and looked at him, she saw from his wide stance and the set of his jaw that this was something he'd fight over. "Since she's…well, you know, er, my spouse and all, I think I need to get her a birthday present."

"Harry, that's very sweet of you, but you really don't have to."

"You don't understand, Mrs. Weasley. I have to get her a birthday present. Money's not a problem. I have loads of it."

"Harry…"

"Please, Mrs. Weasley. I have to do this. This bond means I'm going to be with her the rest of my life. Do you really want the first birthday of hers we spend together to be one where I _don't_ get her a present?"

"Well…"

"Thanks!" he gushed. "Sirius told me his house had a working floo at the trial. I could call him and he would get me into town and Ginny would never know!"

Molly paled. "Sirius?"

"He is my godfather," Harry said. "I'm sure Professor Lupin would be there too. It'd be nice to talk to them, you know, get to know them. They were good friends with my father. Even Professor Dumbledore said so."

"Oh, they were," Molly said. "I was in my seventh year when they were just starting their first, but even in that first year I heard about the Marauders. Well, hurry up, then. Give 'em a call."

"Thank you!"

He made the call and got a very enthusiastic response from Sirius. Before he left, Ginny came running down stairs. "Harry! What's going on? Why are you so excited?"

"I'm going to go visit Sirius."

"When do we go?"

Harry looked desperately at Molly. "Ginny, dear, I need you to help me today."

"What?" Ginny looked from Harry to her mother, then back. Her eyes narrowed. "What's going on, Harry?"

Harry grabbed the floo and yelled, "Black Residence!" He almost dove into the fire before Ginny could catch him.

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were waiting for him, each with broad smiles, as he came shooting out of the fire. "Whoa, there!" Black said, catching him. "What's the rush?"

"Ginny!" Harry said. He winced. "She's really mad."

"Why, aren't you shopping for her birthday present?"

"Yeah, but she's going to be really mad at me until she gets it. Good thing her party's tonight."

Black laughed. "Sounds like every girlfriend I've ever had."

Harry looked around the house. "No offense, but is the whole house like this?"

"Oh yes, the ancient and noble house of Black," Sirius said. "My family was rather…"

"Dark," Lupin supplied. "This is actually the first time I've been here. They would never have allowed me in otherwise."

"Because you were a werewolf?"

Lupin's eyes widened.

"At the trial," Harry explained. "I mentioned werewolves, and Sirius said, 'Speaking of which,' and then he talked to you."

Lupin cuffed Sirius's shoulder. "Sorry, mate," Sirius said.

"Harry," Remus said, "I'd appreciate it if you don't mention it to anyone else."

"Did dad know?"

"Of course," Sirius said. "That's why we all became animagi. Peter was pretty useless as a rat. Frankly Remus would have eaten him. But your father and I would both change and keep Remus company. Your father was a stag. A big, powerful stag. Quite a sight, he was."

"Wow. Do you think I could become an animagus too?"

"That would be very irresponsible of us," Remus said in a lecturing voice. "It is a risky and difficult process."

"So of course we'll help you!" Sirius said. "Now, let's go to Diagon Alley and get your bride a birthday present."

"Wait a sec!" Harry said. He ran back to the fireplace and threw in a little powder. "The Burrow!"

A moment later Molly's face emerged from the fire. "Yes?"

"Mrs. Weasley, would it be okay if Sirius and Remus come to Ginny's party tonight?"

She was quiet a moment.

"It's really okay, Harry, we don't need to…" Sirius started.

"He's your godfather," Molly said, cutting Black off, "and you're a part of this family now, so he should come over. Tonight's as good a night as any. Bring him and Mr. Lupin over. We'll be glad to have them."

"Thank you!" The fire died and Harry turned around with a triumphant grin on his face.

"You shouldn't have put her on the spot like that, Harry," Remus said.

"She is the best cook in the world," Harry said.

"Good enough for me!" Sirius declared. "Now, let's go shopping!"

With his father's two best friends at his side, Harry had what could be described as the best day of his life. Sirius was wildly enthusiastic about everything, as if trying desperately to make up for his lost years. Remus was calm and more insightful, but with a wry sense of humor. He poked gentle fun at Sirius even while keeping the man's wilder impulses under control.

They looked at everything they could think of for Ginny. Dresses, jewelry, pets. It didn't matter the price. Harry had pulled enough money from his trust vault to buy anything he could imagine Ginny would want.

But eventually, Harry's eye fell on the perfect gift. "You sure?" Remus asked. "That's a very expensive gift. I'm not sure how Molly would feel about it."

"I'm not buying it for Mrs. Weasley," Harry said. "Although, now that you mention it…"

"Harry?"

"Remus, let the boy have his day," Sirius said. "If Molly goes into one of those famous rages of hers, we'll say it was all my fault. I'll even say I helped him pay for them."

"Sirius, I'm not sure that would make the situation any better."

"We'll figure something out," Sirius said.

"It's perfect!" Harry said.

When he arrived back in the Burrow that afternoon, just an hour before the party, Ginny stood with her arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed angrily. "Harry James Potter!" she hissed. "What have you been doing?"

"Couldn't you tell?" Harry asked.

_You were blocking me off, and you know it!_

"I was …" _shopping for your birthday present._

Her eyes widened a bit. _You were? _"What'd you get me?"

_A surprise._

Ginny stamped her foot. "I don't like surprises."

"You'll like this one. I promise."

"If I don't…" _I'm going to kick you tonight with my cold feet._

"You'll like it," Harry said with an unusual show of confidence.

Molly was watching the exchange in the kitchen, trying to follow it as best she could. "When will Mr. Black and Professor Lupin be coming by, Harry?" she asked.

"In about half an hour, if that's okay," Harry said. "I'm sorry for imposing on you like that. I just…"

"They are a part of my family now too," Ginny finished.

Harry nodded.

Molly forced a smile. "It'll be fine," she said, more for her own sake than theirs.

Although Charlie wasn't able to take any more time off, Bill was between assignments and was able to arrive for the party. He was standing by Arthur, Harry and Ginny when first Remus Lupin, and then Sirius Black arrived.

The two stood a little stiffly as they surveyed the interior. Finally, though, Black's eyes fell on Molly. "There she is," he said. "The Prewitt terror. I only met you twice, but I feel as if I know you like I know Remus."

He did not mention Molly's brothers, nor did he have to. She gave a curt not, stepped forward, and welcomed the two men with a hug. "I can't tell you how sorry we are for the injustice you suffered," she said.

"I'm just happy Harry and Ginny believed me," Sirius said. "I didn't actually mean to abduct them; I just needed to get them out of that house before whoever sent the werewolves followed up."

"We understand," Arthur said. He stepped forward and offered his hand, which Black took. "We understand that you helped save our daughter and Harry's lives. You're welcome here, both of you. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

With the slightly awkward greeting out of the way, other guests started arriving. Hermione was the first, and they could see by her determined expression that she had read at least some of the articles about what happened.

After a cursory greeting with Ron, Molly and Arthur, she made a bee line for Harry and Ginny. "All right," she said. "Tell me everything. And I mean everything."

"We're going to wait until everyone arrives," Harry said.

"We promise we'll tell everyone," Ginny added.

That mollified Hermione for a little while only. A few minutes later, Luna Lovegood arrived. Harry remembered her statements in the hospital wing at the end of the last school year and watched her as she took Ginny in a hug. "Hello, Hinny." She then walked over and hugged the dumbstruck Harry. "Hello, Garry. I'm so happy you decided to stop hiding your marriage. It is a beautiful thing, even if you are young. When will you have kids?"

"When we aren't kids ourselves?" Harry said, guessing that was a good answer.

Evidently it was, since Luna nodded.

No one else was invited outside of family. It wasn't that Ginny didn't have a lot of friends at school. In fact she was very popular among the girls in her year. She just liked her celebrations small.

Harry knew, deep down, Ginny did not want all of her friends to see how poor her family really was. It was an odd embarrassment. She loved her family and her home, and was not embarrassed herself. She was, however, afraid that others would be embarrassed by seeing it.

She did not believe Harry's assurances that the Burrow was simply brilliant.

The birthday dinner was served with all of Ginny's favorites, most of which involved chocolate in one capacity or another. Then came the massive cake—more chocolate, of course, lined with chocolate frogs that were mired in the frosting and could not get free.

Finally came gifts. Mrs. Weasley gave Ginny a hand-knitted sweater for the upcoming school term. Bill gave her a beautiful necklace he got in Egypt, while everyone else got her sweets. Hermione got her a book, of course. Luna gave her a necklace made of turnips, which Ginny accepted with aplomb.

Finally, Ginny turned to Harry. "Well?" she said.

"I don't want to rain on anyone's parade," Hermione said, "but I for one was promised a full explanation for this marriage. And I don't want you to be distracted by any more gifts."

"Hermione," Ron pleaded.

"It's okay," Harry said. "Not like it's a secret any more. It didn't really start out as a marriage."

"I figured that," Hermione said. "You two hadn't said three words to each other all year."

So Harry and Ginny told their story once again. Hermione watched them both intently, nodding here and there. Finally, when they were done, she said, "Well, it explains the way you two were acting at the end of term. And you're really sleeping together?"

By now, they had blushed themselves out in response to that particular subject and simply nodded.

"Okay," Hermione said with complete acceptance. She then hugged Ginny and finally Harry. "You really have a saving people complex, you know that, right, Harry?"

"Thank Merlin he does," Ginny said.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. She rested a hand against Harry's cheek. "Thank Merlin for that. He and Ron saved me from that troll last year."

"Wonder who he's going to save next year?" Ron said.

"Better not be a girl," Ginny said. "Two's enough in this bond."

Hermione and Ron laughed. Molly and Arthur shared a startled look, which Black and Remus observed.

Though neither seemed aware of it, Ginny was clutching Harry's arm protectively.

"Now, presents!" Ginny demanded.

Harry grinned. "Sirius?"

Sirius Black stood, walked around the table the family had set up in the back garden, and bowed to Ginny. He then bowed to Molly. "I will reveal the presents only upon the condition that one Molly Prewitt Weasley vows to accept these gifts with the same love with which they were given."

Molly's eyes narrowed. "What are you on about, Black?"

"That my Godson loves you and your entire family, Molly. And he wants his gifts accepted in the spirit they are given."

"In other words," Remus said, leaning over conspiratorially, "he's asking you not to get upset."

"Why would I…you didn't!"

"No, I didn't," Sirius said. "Harry did."

He pulled a series of small packages from his pocket, and with a flick of his wand unshrunk them. Each flew across the garden into the hands of Fred and George, Percy, Ron and Ginny. The last came into Harry's hands.

Their shapes were obvious. "Harry!" Molly started to screech as Ginny ripped the paper from hers.

"It's a Firebolt!" Ginny screamed. She launched across the air and almost flew into Harry, who spun her around not out of joy, but out of a desperate attempt to regain balance and stay on his feet. Before anyone there could blink, she planted a kiss right on his lips, then let go and jumped back to her broom. She spun to her mother. "Can we try it?"

Harry turned quickly to a bright red Molly. Being a newly turned thirteen, he completely missed why she was so red. "I bought one for myself too," he said quickly. "And I got Nimbus 2000s for the quidditch players here, and a Nimbus 1900 for Percy since he doesn't play. It's not just for us—it's for the Gryffindor quidditch team too!"

"Harry, Ron and Ginny are not on the team," Arthur said.

"They will be," Harry said with absolute conviction. "Either as reserves or starters, but they'll be on the team. Ginny flies near as good as I do. Better in the straight-aways. And Ron has a better brain for quidditch than I'll ever have."

"It's too much," Molly said, trying very hard not to overreact.

"Not for me, though," Harry pleaded. "You and Mr. Weasley have been so good to me. All of you. Even if this bond hadn't happened, you've been more like family than my relatives. I have the money. I know you wouldn't take money, and I know better than to offer. But these are good gifts. Please don't try to give them back."

"You know, he's right, Mum," Fred said. "We're flying old Cleansweeps on the team. Malfoy's dad bought the Slytherins new brooms last year to get Draco on the team. Least this way some of us will be able to keep up."

Arthur finally settled it. "Harry, thank you very much for these gifts. You're right, they are good gifts, and our boys will be happy to accept them. And it's pretty obvious Ginny will as well. And don't doubt for a moment, Harry, your place here. You aren't just like family any more. You are family."

Harry beamed, and Ginny started crying. Ron turned to her. "Why are you crying?"

"'Cause Harry wants too but can't," she said.

"I'm okay," Harry assured them. He looked around, beaming, then walked back to Ginny and gave her a long, happy hug. "Happy birthday, Gin."

"Thank you," she snuffled over his shoulder.

That night, Harry took an especially long time combing Ginny's hair. He let the comb run through her long red locks with a tired smile. _Harry?_

_Yeah?_

_I kissed you._

_Yeah. _

_Did you…you didn't mind, did you?_

_It was kind of nice. Never been kissed by a pretty girl before._

Ginny turned around and looked at Harry. "Do you really think…" _I'm pretty?_

"Yes," Harry said simply.

She turned back around, and Harry continued combing her hair. "Do you think we can ever be happy?" she wondered aloud.

"I'm not the right person to ask," Harry said. "I've never been happy before."

"You're happy now."

"Yeah." Harry said it as a sigh. "I guess I am."

Outside the door in the hall, Molly closed her eyes and turned to walk away.


	13. August Rush, September Pause

**Chapter Thirteen: August Rush, September Pause**

The days that followed rushed together in a blur as August slowly, inevitably lumbered toward its demise. Just as Ginny pointed out, Harry was happy. Eventually, he and Ginny reached an agreement that there was simply no point in their being embarrassed when they woke up curled tightly around each other. She knew that if she occasionally woke to something poking her in the nethers, it was nothing Harry did on purpose, and calling attention to it again and again simply caused anguish for them both.

If, on occasion, she woke with his hand on her tummy, she knew from the link it wasn't something Harry meant to do. Rather, it was just this strange need of theirs for physical touch. Usually, she would just say, "Rollover, Harry," and he would, even if not awake yet.

The family seemed to be a little more accepting as well. Molly, at least, seemed to accept the fact that Harry was not going to attempt to do anything that would call her daughter's virtue.

Harry had the tact, especially with Ginny's elbow in his ribs, not to point out that virtue was moot in cases of marriage. Ginny pointed out such a comment would have not only _not_ helped his argument, but would have pretty much undone any progress they'd made all summer long.

He also had opportunity to get to know his father's best friends. It was this latter fact that caused Harry the most happiness. In essence, Sirius Black was a pure bundle of joy. Perhaps it was because of all the darkness he experienced, or perhaps because he never had a chance to really grow up, but their afternoons with Sirius were among the most fun either Ginny or Harry had. The fact that Molly even let Ginny go with Harry on his visits was tacit proof that she at least accepted Sirius, even if she didn't wholly approve of him.

Remus was the exact polar opposite of Sirius. Quiet and contemplative, wry and subtle in his humor, the new DADA professor was the leash that kept Black from going to far.

Sirius found a match in young Ginny, though. Harry was constantly astounded that the demure red-head who didn't say three words to him throughout her first year not only defended herself from Sirius's constant teasing, but actually gave as good as she got with a saucy flare in her eyes.

Harry quickly realized that he never really knew Ginny, though he did remember the twins warning him once. Rather than make him feel intimidated, it made him feel better somehow. As if her strength was his own, now.

Still, nothing could last forever. The summer started coming to a close, and the days to return to Hogwarts starting ticking off with certain dread.

However, on August 31st, the brief shafts of happiness that broke through the clouds of Harry's life dimmed. He was up early as was sometimes the case. Molly never minded, since him being up early cut down on the time he had to snuggle with her daughter. Without being asked, he began assisting her as only a boy with a lifetime of cooking could.

It was not the first time he tried helping, but it was the first time Molly chose to allow him to. She watched the way he handled the food with sure hands, the clear sign of someone with experience. He did not hesitate to get his hands dirty, nor to clean them thoroughly.

He actually did a very good job with the heaps of eggs that would feed the family. "So," she said casually, "did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you. We had a very pleasant dream."

Molly raised a brow. "Oh?"

He blushed a little. "I'm not used to nice dreams, so sometimes Ginny shares hers. She was dreaming of the two of us on the Gryffindor quidditch team, winning the Quidditch Cup. We dreamed she was the team captain."

"Oh, I see," Molly said.

"Did you play quidditch?"

"I played for a year," Molly said. "My sixth year."

"Why'd you stop?"

"I had other things to do." Other things included getting married so that their first born son was born to a properly married couple.

Harry nodded. Then he smiled at her. "How come every time I talk to you I think I should thank you?"

"Thank me? Whatever for?"

He opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words. She noticed his struggle, and wrapped the still wiry boy in a tight hug. "If you truly feel gratitude for whatever reason, Harry, you can show it by being good to my little girl."

Harry nodded resolutely. "I will," he promised with a determined gleam in his eye. "I'll always protect her."

"I know you will, Harry."

Soon after, Ginny stumbled down the stairs followed by Percy, who was already showered and dressed for the day. The twins followed shortly after. Last came Ron, who was still yawning and wiping his eyes even as he started scooping food onto his plate.

Arthur emerged then ready for work. However, he had a very serious expression on his face. "What is it, dear?" Molly asked.

"Pettigrew has escaped Azkaban."

Harry suddenly started choking on a sausage. Ginny quickly slapped his back and dislodged the offending article of food. "He escaped?"

"Madame Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour had an interrogation scheduled for yesterday about other possible Death Eaters, but somehow he escaped. There's indication it might have been an inside job."

"What does that mean for us, Arthur?" Molly asked.

"That we be careful," Arthur said. "With the new wards Bill and Albus put up, the Burrow's as secure as we could hope to make it. But I don't want anyone leaving the Burrow alone. Ginny, if you want to visit your friend Luna, you'll need to do it by floo. And tomorrow, we will all go to King's Cross together."

Harry didn't get a chance to speak to either Sirius or Remus regarding Pettigrew's escape before the whole family flood to the Leaky Cauldron early the next morning. Harry was surprised when they were met by two black Bentleys.

"Courtesy of the Ministry," Arthur said. The family piled the student trunks into the magically expanded boots of the cars, and the two vehicles sped off toward King's Cross station.

Harry sat in the back seat next to Ginny, while Percy sat on one side and Arthur sat on the other. The rest rode in the other car. They arrived without incident and found a surprise waiting for them.

Harry remembered Tonks from the trial. However, standing next to her was Sirius Black and the auror named Kingsly Shacklebolt. "Sirius, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I've decided to go back to work," Sirius said proudly. "It would be too boring around the house by myself."

"Work? I thought you were rich."

"I am, but I was also quite bored," Sirius admitted. "So, I rejoined the auror corps." He pulled an irritated Tonks to him in a tight shoulder-hug. "I just wanted to be closer to my dear cousin here."

"I can't express my joy," Tonks said dryly, while Shacklebolt merely chuckled.

"So, what are doing you here?"

"To make sure the rat stays far away," Sirius said. "Remus is on the train. I want you sitting in his compartment."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Sirius."

The newly reinstated auror shrugged. "That's what godfathers are for." His dark eyes fell on Ginny. "You know, you're starting to shift from cute to pretty. Couple of more years, you may even be beautiful."

"And you'll still be old and ugly," Ginny smiled back.

Sirius staggered as if shot. "She wounds me! Harry, it's not too late. Run now!"

Harry grinned at his godfather, and then got his trunk stored along with Ginny. He, Ron and Ginny climbed onto the train and moved through the compartments until they finally found the one with Remus Lupin.

The new professor appeared to be sound asleep with a jacket over his head. Across from him sat a quiet Hermione Granger reading her potions text. She looked up at the three of them and smiled.

Harry smiled back and they shuffled into the compartment.

The train set out a few minutes later, and it seemed almost inevitable for the door to open to reveal Malfoy and his goons. He did not speak at first, he merely stood staring at Harry and Ginny with a leering expression that made Ginny's face and Harry's vision go red.

"So it's true," Malfoy finally said. "That's so pathetic, Potter, that I don't need to make fun of you. Marrying an eleven-year-old is its own joke."

And he left.

"I'm twelve now!" Ginny said fiercely when he was gone. "And I'm already more woman than he'll ever know."

Harry suddenly choked. Ginny slapped his back, perhaps a little harder than she should have.

The ride continued on in relatively quiet after that. With a sleeping professor, even one Harry knew intimately, they felt restrained on just how much noise they would make. So instead they spoke quietly about their summer, and their classes.

"You're taking Divination and Care of Magical Creatures?" Ginny asked. "Why divination?"

"Fred and George said it was an easy class," Ron said. "Just tell Trelawney that Harry's going to die, and you'll get an A."

The room became chilly. "What?" Ron asked.

"You're a git," Ginny said. She turned to Harry. "Would you change your class schedule?"

"Why would I do that?" Harry asked, confused.

"I've always wanted to take Runes and Arithmancy."

"Well, okay, but what does that have to do with me?"

"You take them first and I help you with your work, and by the time I take them I'll get perfect marks!"

Hermione gasped. "Ginny, that's cheating!"

"No, it's studying in advance," she said. She turned to Harry. "Please, Harry."

Ron, however, was shaking his head. "That's just daft. Why would Harry do that just to make it easier for…"

Ron stopped when he realized that Harry and Ginny were staring into each other's eyes, lost in a silent communication. "Don't do it, Harry," Ron pleaded. "Be strong, mate."

"I'm taking those courses as well," Hermione said.

"You're taking everything," Ron muttered.

"Well, if I have time, yes," Hermione said.

"Okay," Harry said without looking away from Ginny. Her answering grin lit up her whole face. She surged forward and hugged him.

Ron reddened and shook his head. "You're going to regret that, Harry. I just know you will."

Harry shrugged. "Probably, but Ginny's right. With everything going on, I'll probably need Runes and Arithmancy more than divination.'

"Ginny didn't say…oh, never mind."

The trip continued in relative quiet for another hour or so. Outside, the sky was an iron grey color with low-hanging clouds looming over the land. Harry was just wondering what it would be like to fly above the clouds when the train abruptly stopped.

"What was that?" Hermione demanded.

Harry looked at Ginny, and became very still when he saw frost from her breath. The compartment had become very cold. "What's happening?" he whispered.

Suddenly the glass on the compartment door froze over. It creaked open with a grating, high-pitched squeal. Long, black, bony figures reached in. Those within the compartment stared back in paralyzed terror.

A nightmare of shadow made real slipped into the compartment. Harry began shaking as he heard someone screaming his name, followed by a maniacal laugh and a flash of green. Beside him, he heard a gasp and felt through the bond Ginny sharing the vision. Everything suddenly went black.

When Harry awoke, it was to the feeling of Ginny clinging to him, her head on his chest as they sometimes slept. He blinked his eyes to see Remus kneeling down on the floor beside them.

"Are you all right?"

"What happened?" Harry whispered in a dry throat.

"Dementors," Remus near spat. Harry had never heard his godfather's friend so upset. "How the Ministry could allow them on the train I'll never understand. Supposedly they were looking for Peter."

Harry looked at Ginny. _It's time to wake up._

Ginny's eyes popped open, and she shivered against him. "What was that?"

Harry sent what he knew to her, and she stared back in horror. "The dementors from Azkaban? On the Hogwarts Express?"

"Here," Remus said. He handed each of them a significant piece of chocolate. "It really does help. Can you stand?"

He helped the two get to their feet. The others were watching them in concern. "We're the only ones who passed out?" Harry asked.

"Dementors affect everyone differently," Lupin said. "Sirius reacts nearly as badly due to his years at Azkaban. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Easy to say," Harry muttered. "You didn't faint like a girl."

"Excuse me?" Ginny snapped.

"Well, you are a girl, so you had an excuse," Harry said.

Her eyes narrowed. "Harry, you, you…" Whatever else she said through their bond in equal parts filled Harry's face with color, and bled it pale again.

"Sorry," Harry said at last.

She said nothing and looked straight ahead, angry. Finally, she said, "I'm going to go talk to Luna."

"I need to leave as well to talk to the conductor," Remus said. "You should be safe enough."

After the two were gone, Hermione shook her head. "That was very Ron of you, Harry."

Ron looked up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm a git sometimes," Harry muttered. He stood up, pacing the compartment with nervous energy.

Hermione watched with narrow eyes. "Harry?"

"I don't like it when she's angry," he finally said.

"Gah, you must be miserable all the time," Ron said. "That girl is mental."

"Shush, Ron," Hermione said. "So her being angry affects you?"

Harry shrugged as he continued his nervous pacing. "I guess so."

"How 'bout when you're angry?"

"Don't know," Harry admitted. He finally sat down with a sigh. "Whenever I'm angry about something, she's usually angry too."

"You've never been mad at her?"

"Well, no, not really."

Hermione leaned forward, studying her friend intently. "Harry, how do you feel about Ginny?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you like her?"

"Of course," Harry said.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"What are you getting at, 'Mione?" Ron asked.

She ignored the red-head. "Why do you like Ginny, Harry? Is it just because of your bond? When it first happened, you two were arguing all the time."

"I…" Harry floundered for words. "She's really smart," he said. "Maybe not smart like you, but she's really smart. And she's funny. She's shown me some of the jokes she's played to get back at the twins. And she's really nice. She doesn't think of herself all that much. When she does, she isn't selfish about it. She hates liars, just like I do. Sometimes, in the morning, she'll sigh in a certain way." His eyes went far away as he spoke. "It's like there's a breeze coming from her. Really soft. Her eyes are closed and she's so peaceful. Then she wakes up. It's like a switch, you know? She doesn't wake slow like Ron. She's asleep, and then she's awake and ready to go. And she can be so happy. It's like…it's like when you take a bath. The water just covers you up and makes you warm all over. That's what her happy feels like."

"Blimey, Harry, you make it sound like you're in love with her or something."

"I'm only thirteen," Harry scoffed.

"Only thirteen," Hermione echoed, her eyes soft. "All those things you think about her, Harry. Send them to her through the bond."

"What?"

"Send them to her."

"Why?"

"Trust me, Harry. Girls thrive on this sort of thing. Send them to her."

Harry closed his eyes, and gradually a slow smile spread across his face. He visible relaxed. "I'm going to have to remember that," he said softly. "She's not angry anymore."

He opened his eyes again and stared into the warm brown orbs of his friend. "Thank you, Hermione. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Probably flunk out," Ron said.

"Probably," Hermione said with false haughtiness. "Just remember that, both of you, and we'll all do just fine."

In another car of the train, Luna Lovegood watched as her best and only friend reddened the color of a tomato. She stared, surprised, as a tear gathered at the corner of Ginny's eyes and ran down her cheek.

"Are the nargles attacking you?" Luna asked.

"I was mad at Harry."

"Well, yes, that's what you were saying."

"He told me he was sorry."

"That must have been quite the apology."

"Better than flowers and chocolates," Ginny whispered.

"I suppose that's good," Luna said. She reached up a hand and cupped Ginny's cheek. "It must be nice knowing that you have the love of your life already. I still have to go through all the bother of trying to meet someone."

"Love of my life?" Ginny gulped. "He's just Harry."

"If you're already bonded, then I'd say he's your Harry."

"Well, I suppose so. But I'm only twelve."

"Love comes in all shapes, sizes and ages," Luna said with startling wisdom.


	14. Accidental Magic

**Chapter Fourteen: Accidental Magic**

Ginny stood on the platform waiting with Luna by her side. She spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione climbing out of the last car. Instantly his eyes locked on to hers, as if he knew by instinct where she was.

Nearby, Hagrid was calling for the first years. Ginny restrained an urge to go stand with the newest group of students. Instead, she waited until her brother, bond mate and friend arrived.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded. _I'm not mad at you any more_, Ginny sent.

Harry smiled tentatively. _I'm sorry I made you mad in the first place._

Ginny shrugged. "You're a boy," she said aloud. "You just can't help it."

Hermione must have guessed at least a little of what they said, since she chuckled. "Let's get to the carriages."

Without a thought, Ginny's hand sought Harry's and slid snugly into his grip. As always, a comforting warmth came from the contact. If she really thought about it, she knew it was not so much the addition of warmth, but rather the cessation of the nagging discomfort that was always there whenever they were apart. Over the summer they grew accustomed to the feeling of their being apart, but it was always a relief for it to stop, no matter how briefly.

The warm feeling came to an end, though, much sooner than she thought.

"What is that?" she whispered. She knew beside her Harry could see it as well.

Hermione and Ron continued on a stop before they stopped and looked back at Ginny and Harry. "What is what?"

"Leading the cart," Ginny said.

"They weren't there last year," Harry said.

In front of each carriage stood a black, devilish looking creature, winged and skeletal. The one in front of the nearest cart was staring directly at them.

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione demanded a little shrilly.

Just then Luna walked past them, stepped calmly to the side of the evil-looking creature, and gently patted its side. "This is a thestral," Luna said.

"What's a thestral?" Hermione demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"The thestrals pull the carriages," Luna explained as if to a child.

"There's nothing there!"

"Something has to the pull the carriages," Luna said with perturbing logic. "Just because you cannot see a thing does not mean it does not exist. Take nargles."

"Luna," Ginny said, "why can't Hermione and Ron see it?"

"It's said that only those who've seen and understand death can see them," Luna said. "That's why they're so often associated with dark things. But they're actually quite gentle." With that, the young blonde waif climbed onto the carriage and started reading an upside-down edition of the Quibbler.

"That girl is so strange!" Hermione harrumphed. Then to Ginny and Harry, she said, "Can you really see it?"

Both nodded and thought of the werewolves who died at the 4 Privet Drive.

They eventually overcame their reluctance and climbed onto the carriage. As soon as the carriage was full, the thestrals started pulling the cart toward Hogwarts.

Harry noticed Luna's copy of the Quibbler had an article on Pettigrew. Craning his head to better see the up-side-down headline, he was surprised by what he read: "Ministry Officials knowingly allowed Pettigrew Escape to Prevent Naming of Names."

"Ignore it, Harry," Hermione said. "The Quibbler is known for printing nonsense."

"My father owns the Quibbler," Luna said without dropping the paper.

Hermione blushed. "Er, sorry."

Luna said nothing. Eventually, they made it to Hogwarts without further incidents. Harry helped Ginny down and they started into the castle. They were just past the courtyard when Professor McGonagall intercepted them. "Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, a moment, please."

With a nod from Harry for the rest to go on, the third and second year waited patiently for the head of house. When they were alone, McGonagall eyed them both closely. "You've had an eventful summer," she began. "Are you both quite all right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said. Ginny nodded.

"I wanted to discuss your sleeping arrangements," McGonagall said. "Professor Dumbledore has informed me of some of what transpired over the summer. I understand you were sleeping together at the Burrow?"

Again, Harry and Ginny nodded.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Very well. Professor Dumbledore mentioned the rooms for married students. However, given how young you are your parents and I believe it better for you to stay in the tower. Therefore the headmaster and I have converted a prefect's room for your use. It will be off the boy's dorms, for the simple reason that I shall not have a boy in the girl's dorms. The room will have its own lavatory." She looked each of them with a very firm glare. "You are young yet, but I feel I should give you fair warning. Having your own room is a privilege that can just as easily be taken away. No other students this young have their own room. If I find you abusing this privilege in any way, there will be consequences."

"We understand, Professor," Harry said quickly.

McGonagall looked at Ginny.

"He said we understand," Ginny said.

"I wanted to hear you say it."

"You did."

Seeing the professor's lips purse, Harry quickly said, "Professor, if either of us say 'we' it's because we both agree. She's not trying to be…er, cheeky."

This time, Ginny's cheeks reddened, but she nodded firmly.

"Very well. Please join your housemates for the sorting."

They held hands until they reached the main doors. _They're all going to know_, Ginny thought.

Harry nodded.

She gripped his hand tighter, then let go. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Each took a deep breath and walked through the doors into the Great Hall. All at once, a hundred different conversations came to an end as the entire student body turned to stare at them.

Harry stopped as if struck by a brick wall. Ginny could feel his tension, and for the first time shared it. Through their bond, she realized that it was like this all the time for Harry, and she could feel how very much he hated it.

Whatever she hoped to gain by walking in like they did ceased to matter. She reached out, took Harry's hand, and led him through the barrage of stares to the Gryffindor table, where Ron and Hermione had saved a couple of seats between them.

She smiled with appreciation when she saw Percy and the twins all sitting nearby with their own circles, as if to be closer. They assumed their seats, and shortly after that the first years began pouring in.

As the sorting ceremony began, Ginny stared at the head table. Professor Snape sat staring at her.

No, not her. At them.

_He's like that all the time,_ Harry said. He sent memories of Snape through the bond. The fact that in two years he had memories of so many unpleasant encounters was frightening.

As she sat staring back, though, she did not see hatred on Snape's face, or even contempt. She was only twelve, but Ginny always considered herself a decent judge of character, and what she saw on Snape's face looked much more like regret and pain than hatred.

The moment passed quickly as Snape turned to look at Hagrid. Only then did she realize Dumbledore had named the new professors. She knew about Remus, but had no idea that Hagrid had been named as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor.

Several of the Gryffindors stood to give the newly minted Professor Hagrid an standing ovation. Ginny couldn't help but smile when she saw the huge man try to surreptitiously wipe away a tear.

_Wonder if Dumbledore's going to mention us,_ Harry thought.

"Doubt it," Ginny murmured aloud.

"Finally, I must make one last announcement," Dumbledore said. "In its on-going efforts to locate the escaped murderer Peter Pettigrew, the Ministry of Magic has seen fit to allow dementors away from Azkaban. These creatures may not enter school grounds directly, but will be nearby. I suggest you stay out of their way. These things will not differentiate between a convicted murderer and a student of Hogwarts. Now, let the feast begin!"

They ate their dinner in relative peace. However, Ginny was aware of speculative gazes from down the table and realized her former roommates were staring at her with predatory gleams in their eyes.

"Those girls are scary," Harry said aloud.

Hermione followed his and Ginny's looks. "Those are your roommates, right?"

"They were," Ginny said.

"Right, how's that gonna work?" Ron asked.

"A converted prefect's room," Harry said. "Professor McGonagall wanted us to stay in the tower."

"Well, that's okay, I guess." Suddenly, Ron's eyes bulged as he understood. "Prefects room? You mean—Harry, is she going to be in the boy's tower?"

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said, "where else would they be? Boys can't even enter the girl's dorms."

"That is so not fair," Ron muttered.

"Just don't run starkers through the halls and you should be fine," Harry said.

At that moment he sent a memory of Ron doing just that during his first year when Seamus flicked a muggle plastic spider into his shower.

Ginny snorted pumpkin juice. "You didn't," Ron said, looking horrified.

"I think he did," Hermione said. She'd heard all about it in excruciating detail.

The laughter died and Ron's face darkened. Ginny felt the presence behind her and she and Harry both turned to see Malfoy standing, staring. Crab and Goyle were there, as were Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass.

"So it's true," Parkinson said, echoing Malfoy's earlier sentiment. The snub-nosed girl leered at Ginny, then at Harry. "Well, at least the whore he got was a pureblood. It could have been worse, Draco."

Ginny felt a flash of rage so hot and powerful it throbbed through her skull. She almost cried out in agony at it. Beside her, Harry shot to his feet, his face twisted by that same rage. The five Slytherins backed up, but it was too late. Harry's whole body shook as magic flared out without control.

The floor itself cracked with a resounding boom that silenced the rest of the hall. At the head table, Dumbledore and the rest of the staff stood in alarm.

Malfoy's and Parkinson's eyes widened briefly before Harry's body exploded in a wave of accidental magic so powerful it tossed all five of the Slytherin students across the hall. Pansy screamed once; Draco never stopped screaming. They slammed into the wall of the far side of the hall and crumbled to the flagstones in an unmoving heap.

Pomfrey was already running toward them with Snape at her heals. McGonagall and Dumbledore were rushing toward Harry, who was still shaking with anger that continued to hurt Ginny.

"Harry, please," she whispered. Desperately, she took his hand.

Like a switch, the rage and the magic disappeared. Harry stared down at the cracked floor in surprise, and then looked up at Ginny. "Gin?" he whispered. "I hurt you?"

His eyes rolled up into his skull. Almost immediately, the wave of magical exhaustion struck her as well, making her sway in her seat before Hermione steadied her. Harry, though, collapsed to the floor in a heap just as McGonagall arrived.

_I'm going to be expelled_. It was Harry's very first thought upon waking. His second thought was: _I hurt Ginny_.

He felt a hand in his, small yet strong. _I'm not hurt, Harry. I'm right here._

Harry opened his eyes, and fought an urge to cry when he saw Ginny there, holding his hand. "Sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" Ginny asked. "That cow called me a name, and you defended my honor. Hard for me to be mad about that."

"I hurt you."

"You stood up for me," she said.

"I'm still going to be expelled."

"Perhaps, but not today, Mr. Potter."

Harry sat up, only now becoming aware of the Headmaster standing at the foot of his bed. Professor McGonagall was actually sitting in a seat across from Ginny. "Were…did I hurt anybody?"

"You hurt Hogwarts herself more than any of her students," the Headmaster said. "Fortunately, the old girl is strong enough. The damage to the Great Hall has already been put right. Mr. Malfoy and his friends were released this morning."

"Morning?" Harry looked around and saw early sunlight shining through the windows. "I've been here all night?"

"We've been here all night," Ginny said.

"You strained your magical core, Mr. Potter," the headmaster said. "This is not a problem to be taken lightly."

"Am I…will I…?"

"Is he okay now?" Ginny asked.

"Oh yes. Our magical cores are often like human muscle. What strains them often makes them stronger. Your core, Mr. Potter, is very, very strong. Stronger, in fact, than it should be."

"So I _am_ in trouble," Harry muttered.

"Posh," McGonagall said. "Being a strong wizard isn't enough to get you in trouble, Harry. Being reckless with the power, that is what will earn our ire."

"I don't understand…"

"Something happened to our magical cores when we bonded," Ginny explained. "When you pushed Draco away, I felt tired from it."

"It appears, Harry, that the bond you formed with Miss Weasley has had the unexpected side-effect of causing a significant power increase in both your cores. Has something like this ever happened before?"

Harry and Ginny both nodded. "We knocked Sirius Black down," Ginny said. "When we thought he was going to kill us. And we did my bat-bogey hex on one of the werewolves so strong it made its head explode." She looked at Harry. "Wonder if I could do that?"

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said. He did not comment on Ginny's use of 'we' for things Harry obviously did. He doubted either made a distinction any more. Instead, he conjured a comfortable-looking padded chair and sat in order to regard the two children carefully. "I understand you both also had an unfortunate encounter with a dementor aboard the train."

Both kids nodded.

"Harry," McGonagall said as she placed a small match on the table beside the bed, "can you please transfigure this match into a needle?"

"First year spell?" Harry asked, faintly insulted.

"Please humor me."

With a scowl, Harry flicked his wrist and pronounced the spell with precision sufficient for even Hermione not to complain. The matchstick disappeared in a flash, as did the table and a portion of the wall. The heat of the blast toppled McGonagall from her chair and nearly sent Harry flying into Ginny's waiting arms.

"Bloody hell!" Harry cursed, channeling for the moment Ron.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "If too much power is poured into it transfiguration, the results can be quite loud." He removed a matchstick from his robes and placed it on the floor in front of Ginny. "Miss Weasley, I understand you performed very well in transfiguration. If you please?"

With a worried glance at Harry, Ginny performed the spell, also perfectly. When the debris cleared, three stained-glass windows on the opposite side of the hall lay in shattered heaps on the floor, and where the matchstick lay was now a quarter-meter deep gouge in the flagstones.

"Well, how very interesting," Dumbledore said.

"Not as powerful as Harry's," McGongall said, "but definitely more powerful than normal."

"Er, professors, what does this mean?" Harry asked.

"It means, my dear boy, that neither you nor Miss Weasley are going to your transfiguration, charms or DADA classes until you've adjusted to your new power level. You've both experienced an unprecedented surge in your power, and in this state, you could both be dangerous."

"Why didn't we notice this before?" Harry asked.

"When have you performed magic this summer, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

The venerable old professor stood and smiled at them both. The familiar twinkle was there. "The issue with Mr. Malfoy and his friends has been resolved. Miss Parkinson clearly initiated the altercation. Accidental magic is normally not something that is to be punished. Starting tomorrow, I will resume your lessons personally."

"You, sir?" Harry asked.

"For those classes that have practical wand-work, yes. And since that issue is resolved, perhaps we can address a second concern of mine. Professor McGonagall, how would you say Miss Weasley's marks were last year?"

"Top of her year for her house, sixth among all first years behind four Ravenclaws, a Hufflepuff and one Slytherin," McGonagall said.

"Would you please assist the other professors in administering second year end exams for Miss Weasley?"

"Albus?"

Dumbledore was staying at Harry again with that twinkle. "I have a feeling that Miss Weasley will perform at least as well as Harry did on his exams last year. Given everything that has happened, I believe it would be beneficial for everyone if Miss Weasley were advanced a year to join Harry's year. Assuming, of course, she is able to pass her second year curriculum."

Ginny sat very still. "I could be in Harry's year? I could take arithmancy and ancient runes?"

"Does that mean I don't have to?" Harry said hopefully.

"No!" Ginny said. "You're not taking divination. You're too smart for that and you know it."

"What's this?" McGonagall said.

"Harry wants to change his schedule. He wants to take runes, arithmancy and care of magical creatures instead of divination."

McGonagall raised an eye-brow. "Arithmancy is a very challenging subject, Harry. I don't mean to imply that you could not do it, but I have observed that you study solely at Miss Granger's insistence."

Harry shook his head, and then shrugged with a weak smile. "She's the boss," he said, hitching a thumb to Ginny. "I've never been good at math, though."

"You were great at math, Harry, until you got beaten for getting a better grade than your cousin," Ginny hissed.

McGonagall paled a little then cleared her throat. "Well then, we'll adjust your schedules. Fortunately, neither of those classes have much practical wand-work in the first year, so they should be fairly safe."

"And for those hours you would ordinarily be in class," Dumbeldore said, "we will meet until such time as I believe your have sufficient control to return to your normal classes."

"Thank you, professor," Harry said.

Just after lunch, Ginny started an array of second-year final exams that Harry himself had taken just a few months before. He opened his mind completely to Ginny, recalling every lesson he could, and more precisely, the tests he took.

Ginny absorbed the information, not learning from him so much as simply sucking it up from his mind. He surprised himself on how much he remembered, and was not surprised at all when Ginny did well on all her exams, in some cases doing even better than Harry because of errors he himself made and corrected after the fact.

That night, Harry met her outside of the testing room and she wore a huge grin. "I'm going to be a third year," she whispered. "That means you can take me to Hogsmeade and buy me chocolate."

"What about me?"

"I'll buy you some too, but you'll have to give me some money first."

Harry couldn't help but laugh and took the young girl in a tight hug. "It's a deal," he said.

The two walked through the halls of the castle to the Gryffindor common room. As they stepped inside (Ginny knew the password) Harry realized this was the first time he'd been inside his own house that year. "Where is our room?" he asked.

Ginny took his hand and led him up the boy's stairs past the second year dorm to a set of rooms just below Professor McGonagall's quarters and office. They stepped in and Harry stared. The room was smaller than what he shared with Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean. But it looked larger because only one queen-sized bed occupied the space. Two large end-tables stood on either side of the four-poster. Two wardrobes stood on either side of the room, with two dressing areas cordoned off by curtains. A large double desk finished off the room.

The bathroom had two separate vanities, and the shower and water closet were in separate rooms entirely.

"It's perfect," Harry muttered.

"It's ours."

There was something strange in her voice. Through their link, Harry could feel both satisfaction and awe. Even a little excitement. He looked at her, the question hanging in his mind.

"It's our first home together," she tried to explain. "The two of us. Living like adults."

"Not quite like adults," Harry was quick to say.

"No, not like that. Maybe when were old we might think that way."

"Like when were twenty five."

"Yeah, old like that."

Harry nodded. Twenty five was old enough, he thought, to think about things like being married or being a couple together.

They had enough time before they started to think about things like that.


	15. Life, Hogwarts and Everything

**Chapter Fifteen: Life, Hogwarts, and Everything**

When Harry and Ginny stepped through the portrait in the common room after dinner that night, Ginny was immediately assaulted by a gaggle of girls that pulled her from Harry with the inevitability of a strong ocean tide.

Eventually, she chose not to fight it and let her friends guide her upstairs to what should have been her room in the second-year girl's tower. "Okay," the leader of the trio said. Her name was Celestina Hardridge. Like Ginny, the dainty blonde hailed from a light pureblood family. However, she had no siblings. "Spill. What is going on with you and Harry Potter?"

Next to Celestina, Mary Weston crooned. "Are you two really married? It's so Romantic."

"It's silly," said Serena Bloom. Serena's mother was a witch; her father was a muggle. "You're twelve years old. He's only thirteen. How can you be married? The marriageable age is fourteen in wizarding Britain."

Ginny debated how much to tell them. _What do you think?_

Though he was in the common room with Hermione and Ron, she could feel his mental and physical shrug. _They're your friends. You know them better than I do._

Eventually, Ginny settled on a version of the truth. "Last year Harry saved me from the monster," she said.

"It was a basilisk, wasn't it?" Celestina asked, seeking to confirm the rumors.

"Yes."

"That's so sweet!" Mary said. "How'd he do it?"

"He used the Sword of Gryffindor. The headmaster's phoenix blinded it, and Harry killed it with the sword. He saved me."

"Wow!" Serena gushed. "What does that have to do with…."

"I can't say for sure how, but I was hurt really bad. I think I was dying. Harry used his magic to save me. When he did that, it created a bond. He didn't mean to, I know that. But when we woke up, the bond was so strong it hurt any time we weren't touching."

Celestina studied her friend steadily. "So how did you…"

"It was really embarrassing those first few days," Ginny admitted. "But the pain got better over time. Now we only have to touch for a few hours a day, and we're fine."

"A few hours?" Mary asked.

Serena Bloom nodded with sudden understanding. "That's why your bed isn't in here with us. You have to sleep with him, don't you?"

The other two girls stared. Ginny, flushed scarlet, nodded. "It isn't what you're thinking. We just sleep. But if we don't touch enough, we pass out. It really hurts."

"That is sort of romantic," Mary said, less sure of herself.

"Your mother must be mental by now," Celestina noted. "Still, you finally got your wish. I remember even before school started how you wanted to grow up and marry Harry Potter."

Ginny looked down at her feet. In her mind, she felt Harry's mind hovering, listening without judgment. "He's not the person I thought he would be," she finally said.

"How's that?" Celestina said.

"He's…" Ginny fought for words. "Last year he led Ron into the Forbidden Forest and faced a giant nest of acromantulas to try and help Hagrid and discover what was petrifying people. Remember last year during the dueling club, when everyone thought he tried to make Malfoy's conjured snake attack Justin? He was trying to save Justin's life by ordering the snake not to attack. And when I disappeared—he didn't even think about it. He just came to save me, all by himself. He didn't even know me. He would have done it for any of you, I think. He still would, if any of your needed him."

"And now he's your husband. Thirteen year old Harry Potter is your husband," Celestina said. "A boy who has to be descended from Godric Gryffindor himself, if he was able to use the sword."

Ginny shrugged. "Gryffindor lived a thousand years ago. Most of wizarding England is descended from him or one of the other founders."

"I couldn't wield the sword, and I'm an eighth generation pureblood," Celestina pointed out. She reminded Ginny of a pureblood Hermione Granger—much too smart for her own good. "Well, if nothing else, it's a good blood match. I know the arrogant gits like Malfoy may make fun of it, but everyone knows the Weasley family is one of the older light families. The Potter family as well. When will you start having kids?"

Mary, the Muggle-born, started coughing.

"We're not thinking about kids right now," Ginny said. "Maybe when we're older."

"Like twenty five?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, old like that," Ginny said.

"You'll be pregnant before you're seventeen," Celestina predicted. "You have six brothers. If you're anything like your mom, you could get pregnant just from Harry sneezing."

The other girls looked scandalized. Ginny tried to muster a smile while she felt Harry quickly retreating from her mind, morbidly embarrassed. Ginny knew Celestina, though. She did not mean to be crude. Children were a subject of vital importance to most pureblood families, since fewer pureblooded families were having multiple births. The Weasley family was the most numerous in all of England.

"So, does Harry do anything special for you?"

"He combs my hair at night," Ginny said.

"Ohhhh," Mary sighed.

"Maybe Creevey can do that for you, Mary," Celestina said.

"Eww," Mary muttered. She was in love with the idea of romance; the actual thing was personally revolting.

"Err, there's something else you should know," Ginny said.

The three girls say waiting expectantly.

"I've tested out of my second year. I'll be joining the third years."

"What?" Celestina and Serena both said. "How?"

"The bond," Ginny explained. "I know everything Harry knows. The headmaster thought it was pointless for me to go through a year I already passed through Harry. I may not see much of you."

Mary's eyes were suddenly moist, and the impulsive girl shot forward and wrapped Ginny in a hug. "We'll still see each other at meals and quidditch games," Ginny said quickly.

"But we won't have you in our classes any more!" Mary moaned. "Who will help me in charms?"

"Don't worry, Mary," Serena said. "We'll help you."

In the common room, Harry sat with his face bright red on the couch before the fireplace. Ron was playing chess with Seamus and dismantling him piece by piece, while Hermione sat on the couch watching Harry. "What are they talking about?"

"Me," Harry said.

"Must be embarrassing, being able to hear the girl talk," Hermione said.

Seamus looked up from the board. "Yeah, what's that all about, Harry? Where's your bed?"

"You didn't read the _Prophet_ this summer?" Ron asked.

"Aye, didn't believe it, though."

"They bonded accidentally," Hermione explained. "A powerful bond. It's the equivalent of marriage."

Seamus whistled, and then looked over at Ron. "Must not be happy 'bout that."

Ron flushed a bit. "It happened because Harry saved her life."

Seamus nodded slowly, moved his knight, and then promptly lost it. "So, Harry, seen her naked yet?"

Ron threw the board to the side and tackled his roommate. It happened so quickly, no one in the common room had a chance to react. However, before the tussle could develop into any well-formed punches, Harry and Hermione pulled Ron off.

"What the bloody 'ell was that for?" Seamus demanded in a huff.

"Don't talk about my sister like that!" Ron snarled, still surging against Harry and Hermione.

Harry let go and stepped toward Seamus. "He's right," Harry said. "You shouldn't talk about Ginny like that. It's not her fault this happened. We didn't mean the bond to form. But it did. For better or worse, she's my bond mate. By law, she's my spouse, and I will protect her."

Seamus held up his hands. "Whoa, mate, didn't mean nuthin' by it. Sorry!"

Harry looked over and saw Ron relaxing a little under Hermione's firm grip. "I know you didn't mean anything bad," he said. By now, the whole common room was looking at him. "It was an accident. I used my magic to save her life, and it created the bond. But that doesn't matter now. Legally, she's my wife. Insult her, you insult me."

He looked around the common room. His display the previous evening must have been on everyone's mind. That is when Percy, of all people, stepped forward. The seventh year head boy stood by Harry's side. "My family has accepted the bond," Percy said. "We've welcomed Harry into our home. If you have any problems with what has happened, take it up with me."

The twins jumped up. "But if you do, you'll be pranked," George said.

"Like you never thought possible," Fred finished.

And that was the end of the discussion of Harry and Ginny's bonding.

The next day, during what would have been their first transfiguration class, Harry and Ginny wandered hesitantly to the headmaster's office. The gargoyle that guarded the room stepped aside without being asked. Before they could enter, though, Dumbledore himself stepped out.

"Good morning," he said. "Please, come with me. We shall find a classroom for the day. I understand you both have charms and transfiguration sessions today, and your first arithmancy class this afternoon, so the morning shall be just us."

He sounded excited.

They reached one of the many classrooms that went unused in the castle. Dumbledore summed his comfortable change from his wand, and settled in while Ginny and Harry settled into desks in front of him. Then he simply sat staring at them for the longest time.

"Sir?" Harry finally asked.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "My apologies. Seeing the two of you together gave me a moment of reminiscence. You remind me of James and Lily, when they were in their third year."

Harry smiled. "Were they close even then?"

"Quite the contrary, they disliked each other most fervently. Shortly before the winter break, Lily even went so far as to punch James in the nose. She did not break his nose, but I understand the bleeding was the stuff of legends."

"When did they…" Harry was utterly enthralled. Ginny and he had listened to Remus and Sirius talk about them, but never like this.

"I believe it was the end of their sixth year. It hit them quite unexpectedly, I think. Of course, Professor McGonagall and I knew even during that second year that they were meant for each other. Their propensity to hurt each other was too great to mean anything else."

"I don't understand," Harry said.

"To love someone, Harry, to truly know them, is also to have great power over them. It was not until your father realized why he had power over Lily that he understood his own emotions, and vice versa. It was at that point he ceased to be the prankster, and became a man. He and your mother became engaged during their seventh year, and three years after that you were born."

Ginny could feel Harry's mind trying to work through that. She understood it, of course, but then again she was a girl, and probably smarter than Harry. She was also smart enough to not share her understanding, or the fact she was smarter.

"Now, then, I believe it is a good idea to first understand the upper register of your cores. That will give us an idea of what exactly has happened, and how best to go about retraining you."

He transfigured several items into walls that looked like they were made of steel, and taught Harry and Ginny the cutting curse that Harry would likely be learning in fourth year anyway.

It was, in many ways, the most enjoyable lesson either of the kids ever had. Whatever else could be said for the headmaster, he was a truly gifted teacher. He explained not just what he had them doing, but also why, and what he hoped to gain from those actions. Harry probably learned more about magical theory in that first morning than he had in his first two years of schooling.

Ginny, as a pureblood, understood much of the theory already from her mother, but she never applied that knowledge. It was simply a matter of recognizing their own power, and then learning to control how much of it they poured into each spell.

"This is actually something that is not discussed in depth until you are doing your OWL preparations in 5th year. But obviously, some advanced training will be necessary."

The morning went by faster than either of them thought possible, and before they knew it Dumbledore stopped the lesson and sent them to lunch.

Hermione was staring at them as they joined the others at the table. Ron sat beside her, despondently eating. He still shoved huge quantities of food into his mouth; he simply looked despondent as he did so.

"Where were you two?" Hermione asked.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and quickly formulated an answer. "We're having to…take special lessons from the headmaster to try and control my accidental magic."

Ron snorted. Hermione looked unconvinced. "Harry, you split the floor to the great hall and tossed five students fifty feet in the air. Are you saying that was accidental?"

Harry nodded. "We're doing lessons with Professor Dumbledore to make sure we don't accidentally hurt someone."

"I don't understand why, though," Hermione said.

"When I tried to change a match into a needle, I blew out a wall," Harry said.

Ron choked on a sausage. Hermione slapped his back so hard the sausage sped across the aisle and smacked into the back of Justin Finch-Finley's head. As the muggle-born looked around angrily for his assailant, Ron slurped down some pumpkin juice.

Finally, calmed, he said, "You've got to be joking."

"I dug a hole in the floor and broke three windows," Ginny said. "It happened when we bonded. But it was at the end of term last year and then we couldn't do magic over summer, so we didn't know until yesterday. We didn't mean any of this to happen."

"Yeah, I bet," Ron muttered darkly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry said. He sounded a little sharper than he intended.

"I'm done," Ron said. He abruptly stood, grabbed his bag and walked off, leaving his second helping untouched.

Hermione shook his head. "Ronald!" she muttered.

_What's wrong with him?_

Ginny looked at Harry, then at the retreating back of her brother. _I think I have an idea, but I'm not sure there's anything we can do about it._

After lunch they went to their first arithmancy class. Harry was frankly expecting something tantamount to Professor Bins. Instead, sitting between Ginny and Hermione amidst a sea of Ravenclaws, with only a few islands of Hufflepuffs or Slytherins, he discovered Professor Vectra was a very energetic speaker. So energetic, in fact, he felt tired after twenty minutes just from listening to her. Still, she encouraged questions, had a genuine love of her subject that bordered on fanaticism, and was nicer than Snape. On the other hand, what she showed them just in that one class was harder than anything Snape had ever taught.

_Do you understand any of this_? Harry sent to Ginny.

_I think so,_ Ginny said. She did not sound very sure of herself, and he could feel her intimidation.

"This is fascinating," Hermione said on Harry's other side. "Look how the numbers work together!" She wasn't even speaking to them.

_Well, at least we'll have a good study partner,_ Ginny said.

That night, after comparing notes with Hermione , the two made their way up the stairs of the boy's dorm. Ginny still got a few odd looks, but after Ron's attack of Seamus and Harry's warning, no one mentioned anything.

They closed their door and each went to their own dressing station to get ready. It had become habit, now, something they didn't even think about. From the perspective of an outside observer, they moved around each other with the fluidity common to couples who had been married for decades, not a pair of kids bonded for a few months.

Finally, after Ginny bathed and washed her hair, the two settled on the bed and Harry started combing it. They were in that position when they heard a knock on the door and Percy, of all people, stepped in.

"Good evening, Ginevra, Harry," the head boy said.

"Good evening," Ginny said.

Percy stared at the odd sight before him, before shaking it off. "I just wanted to let you know that I am directly across the hall from you if you need anything. Additionally, Professor McGonagall is right above you. She's a very light sleeper—I woke her up last year when this was my prefect's room."

"Thanks for the warning," Ginny said.

"Of course. Good night."

Harry lay the comb down. "Percy?"

Percy blinked. "Yes?"

"Thank you for yesterday. In the common room. It means a lot to us." Ginny nodded in silent agreement.

"Yes, well," Percy was clearly embarrassed. "You're family now, and that is important."

"It really is," Harry agreed.

"Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

When they were alone again, Harry started combing again. "Think your mom asked him to check on us?"

"I would if I were her."

With her grooming finally done, the two settled into bed. The stress of the day and the mild, nagging discomfort all washed away as Ginny settled into the curve of Harry's body.

He did not wait for them to be asleep before his hand slipped into her shirt. He pulled her closer, and they could both feel the innate comfort of the contact. Then Harry felt something else.

It did not start out as intent. His mind was completely open to her, their bond flowing without limit. It was curiosity; pure, innocent curiosity, that caused his hand to travel up her stomach until it rested on the slight, but still noticeable rise of her right breast.

The tingle of the contact shocked them both, and Harry jerked his hand away. "Sorry," he gushed. His embarrassment, and even fear, was clear to read through the bond.

Ginny, however, completely brushed off his feelings and jumped out of bed.

"Ginny!" Harry said, terrified that he had hurt her. He did not quite know what to say or do when she pulled her pajama top off right there in front of him and ran into the bath, where she stood bare-chested in front of the mirror. She stared intently at herself for the longest time, then turned sideways. Her back was to him, so he couldn't quite see what she was doing, and was frankly too scared to move for fear of offending her.

Finally, she doused the light, and in the shadows of the room picked up her pajama top and climbed back into bed. Without a word, she slipped back into Harry's curve, grabbed his hand, and pulled it back inside of her shirt until it rested right back on the young, pubescent breast.

"Can you feel that, Harry?" Ginny said, though it was a silly question. He wasn't shielding.

"Yeah?"

"I've got boobs!"

"Yeah. Er, should I…you know…be touching them?"

"What, are you going to ravish me?"

Harry wasn't entirely sure what the word meant. "Er, no."

Ginny sat up again, causing Harry's hand to retreat to safety. She turned to look at him, and in the shadows she looked so much older than she was. "Harry, I'm growing breasts. I can't help it, it's going to happen. They're just going to get bigger, so I'll have to use Hedwig to owl mom for some bras. But…" _I don't want you to be embarrassed. The bond makes it so we have to touch. I knew you weren't doing anything wrong._

"Tell that to Percy. Or worse yet, Ron."

With a courage and determination that left Harry in awe, Ginny pulled the pajama top off again. In the shadows, the breasts were not much to look at. In fact, Neville in first year had bigger, though his were from being pudgy, while Ginny was lithe and beautiful…

"You think I'm…" _Beautiful?_

Harry swallowed hard. The truth was, though, that Ginny was beautiful, and he could no more hide that from her than he could lie to her. "You're beautiful. I'm afraid I'll do something wrong, or something that'll hurt you. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Take your shirt off, Harry."

Given her state of dress, Harry felt he had no choice but to obey. They lay back down, and Ginny curled up next him, her back to his chest. It was the most physical, skin-on-skin contact they had ever had.

It felt incredible. There were no words to describe the almost hot-feeling warm that filled them both. It was comfort so intense it was almost hard to bear, while at the same time the thought of being without it was too much to stand.

"I'm not ashamed of this," Ginny said. "We're not doing anything wrong."

"No," Harry agreed. "This is right."

"For us."

"For us."

"Good night, Ginny."

"Good night, Harry."


	16. Inappropriate Physical Contact

**Chapter Sixteen: Inappropriate Physical Contact**

Harry woke feeling exuberant. Ecstatic, even. He didn't even have words for how good he felt. He gradually became aware of the light coming in through the narrow windows of their room, and he opened his eyes.

Ginny was on her back, her face in profile to his. Her eyes were closed, her lips pursed in her sleep. His arm rested on her chest. The down comforter was pulled back to her stomach. He lay staring at her, envisioning what she would look like at twenty-five, when she was old.

Her eyes popped open, and just like that she was awake. She stretched under the weight of his arm light a cat, her arms over her head. Only then did she turn to look at him.

"Why do I feel so good?" she whispered.

"Don't know."

"Yeah you do."

Harry couldn't help his grin. "Yeah, maybe."

"Wonder if this is what married couples feel like when they wake up."

"If it is, it's a wonder married couples ever get out of bed to go work," Harry said.

This made Ginny giggle. The sound was so delightful, and Harry was in such an intoxicating mood, that he did the unthinkable. His hand moved down her body, and he tickled her tummy.

This was a dangerous move, as Ginny happened to be horribly ticklish on her tummy. Bill once made her wet her pants by tickling her tummy. No one tickled her tummy with impunity. "Oh, now you've done it!" she howled, a maniacal grin on her face. She spun about on the bed, her narrow fingers traveling with stunning speed over Harry's ribs and neck. He squealed in his man-boy warble as Ginny quickly straddled him to get better leverage.

Naturally, Professor McGonagall chose that exact moment to walk into their room on the cusp of a brisk single knock to ask them what they were doing to be making so much noise so early in the morning.

She came to an abrupt stop as she saw a shirtless Ginny Weasley straddling an equally shirtless Harry Potter, with blankets bunched up around her waist in such a way as to hide any evidence of the pajama bottoms they both wore.

To a teacher of several decades, the appearance left no room for doubt that something dreadful and entirely inappropriate for their young ages was happening. "Ms. Weasley!"

With a surprised yelp, Ginny spun off Harry, throwing the blankets away. Both were flushed with their tickle-fight, and had red-splotches on their skin where questing fingers had inflicted tickle-damage.

"Professor," Harry gasped. "What's wrong?"

McGonagall took a deep breath. "Just what do you think you two were doing?"

"Tickle-fighting?" Harry said, speaking it as a question.

"Tickle… Miss Weasley, why isn't your top on?"

McGonagall watched in astonishment as the shirt flew of its own accord off the floor. Ginny caught it without blinking her eyes and pulled it on, before she hopped off the bed, ran across the floor, and almost knocked the transfiguration professor off her feet with a hug.

"Ginny?" McGonagall gasped.

"It's so great!"Ginny gushed. Her eyes were wide and sparkling. "We finally figured out how to make the bond work at night. I've never felt so alive!"

McGonagall stared down at the girl in something close to shock. Finally, desperate for answers, she looked at Harry. "We took our shirts off," Harry said simply. Even the normally serious and dour Harry Potter sighed with a look of happiness Minerva had never seen before. "I've never slept so good. It was like sleeping in clouds. And when we woke up, we were really happy, so I tickled her."

"No one tickles me without just punishment," Ginny said, her chin held high. The expression lasted only seconds before she grinned. "In fact…"

Ginny jumped across the room toward the bed, as if completely forgetting their head of house was there. In fact, she did not just jump. She flew on the wave of a wandless banishment charm that actually pushed McGonagall back a step just from being near it. Harry held up his hands and her trajectory stopped in mid-air. "Make me fly, Harry!" Ginny crooned.

With gentle hand movements, Harry guided Ginny around the circumference of the bed. They acted with the complete abandon of rambunctious, happy children.

Minerva McGonagall placed a hand on the frame of the door and tried to catch her breath. First she witnessed Ginny perform a wandless summoning charm without a thought, then she witnessed Ginny banish herself three yards across the room in an impossible leap; and because the first two shocks were just not shocking enough, Harry wandlessly levitated her with control approaching that of the headmaster himself around the bed.

Their happiness filled the room, like magic itself, and it was cloying. Something had to be done. She had to regain control of the situation. "Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, need I remind you both that you have potions in an hour with Professor Snape?"

All happiness died. Control was restored.

"Oh bugger," Ginny muttered as she floated gently to the bed beside Harry. "Well, it was fun. Better go take a shower, Harry, you stink."

"Do not!" Harry said. He then sniffed his armpit and gagged. "Okay, maybe a little. Thanks for the warning, Professor McGongall. When Snape takes away points from me, it won't be for my being late."

"Professor Snape, Harry."

"Yes, ma'am."

He ducked into the water closet. Ginny remained on the bed, staring after him. Then she looked at Professor McGonagall. Slowly, a red blush flashed across her face as she seemed to realize something. "It…my top…it's not what you think."

"I most certainly hope not, Ginny. What I thought would have had the two of you in very serious trouble with your mother. As is, I'm frankly not sure I'm comfortable with this arrangement."

Ginny looked horror-stricken. "We weren't doing anything!"

"Miss Weasley—Ginny—you are an attractive young woman. Your body is developing accordingly. It is wildly inappropriate for you to be in the same bed with Harry at all. We allow this because of the unique bond you share. But for you to be topless with him is…that level of inappropriate physical contact is not allowed among students so young."

Ginny climbed off the bed and padded barefoot across the rug until she stood before McGonagall. Two pale hands reached out and took the professor's left hand. "It hurts all the time, during the day. Not like at first, but it does hurt. If we don't touch enough at night, it gets bad the next day. Last night, Harry put his hand in my shirt."

McGonagall opened her mouth to immediately take points away, but stopped at Ginny's pleading look. "You don't understand. The link was open. I could feel his thoughts. He wasn't doing anything bad. It had been a long, hard day. When we sleep, the more we touch the more the pain goes away and we feel better. I was tired, he was tired, but it felt right. So I took my shirt off, and made him take off his, and I slept next to him. It wasn't anything bad, Professor. It wasn't naughty. We agreed we won't do anything naughty like that until we're old, like twenty-five or so. It was just us making the pain go away and sleeping better. It wasn't naughty!"

It was the most Ginny Weasley had ever spoken to McGonagall. Her appeal was heartfelt and desperate.

"Ginny, dear, do you honestly think your mother would tolerate this?"

"She'd have a fit and yell until her head exploded," Ginny said. "But she doesn't understand. She can't. She thinks I'm her little girl."

"And you're not?"

"No. I'm Harry's. And Harry is mine. We…" Words failed again and she shook her head in frustration. The frustration grew to a growl as she stomped back to the bed and sat down. Just then, Harry emerged from his quick shower, already dressed in his school robes for the day.

"Harry, you tell her," Ginny said, as if Harry had been there.

"She means that we need to touch like that," he said, proving he had been through Ginny. "We're not doing anything naughty. We're doing what we need to do to be happy." He sat down on the bed next to Ginny.

"After all the things Harry has suffered, can't he at least be a little happy?" Ginny said.

"Harry, Ginny, I recognize this has been hard for you. But this…it puts me in a difficult position. At the very least, I must discuss this with the headmaster."

The two children looked as if they were on the verge tears. "Yes, ma'am," Harry said.

"Well, in the meantime, best be on to breakfast."

She left just as Ginny ducked behind her changing curtain. Harry followed the professor out. "Harry, I know this may be uncomfortable for you, but has anyone discussed sex with you?"

Harry's face paled. "Er, professor, really, we didn't…"

"You are a young man, Harry. While I don't believe for a moment you are ready, and will thoroughly punish you if you should engage in any such foolishness, nonetheless the discussion must be had. With your father gone, I suppose you could ask your…. No, never mind. If you discuss that with Sirius Black the whole school would be endangered. Perhaps Professor Lupin? I understand he was a family friend?"

"Right, yeah, maybe, professor. Thanks."

He remained in the spiraling staircase just under the prefect's floor after McGonagall left. Ginny joined him a moment later, flushing scarlet. "That was embarrassing," she muttered. "For a moment I was afraid she was going to do the snitch and the dragons talk with you."

"You mean birds and bees?"

"You say tomaaayyytooo," she said. "Come on, let's get something to eat before potions."

They snarfed down a quick breakfast before they made their way to potions. It was their very first potions session together, and neither was looking forward to it.

Professor Snape stood before his chalkboard as the two arrived. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter," he said in a sneeringly dry voice, "thank you for joining us." The Slytherins laughed as Harry and Ginny sat.

Snape strolled leisurely down the aisle just as Ron and Hermione showed up, with Neville and Seamus a step behind. "Mrs. Potter, for some reason the headmaster thought you were competent enough to skip your entire second year's curriculum. I think it more likely you simply cheated with your husband's help."

Ginny ground her teeth. "Please don't call me that."

Snape stopped and stared. "Don't call you what, Mrs. Potter?"

"That. My name is Weasley."

"Not according to the census records maintained by the Ministry of Magic. Not according to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. According to law, you are Mrs. Ginevra," he popped his lower lip at the last syllable of her first name, "Potter, neé Weasley. I shall call you as the law requires. And I shall be watching you very closely. As far as I am concerned, you are nothing more than a conniving little witch trying to cheat your way through school."

At any other time, his invective would not have elicited a response. All students were well cowed by Snape's hate. But what no one realized was just how energized Harry and Ginny were feeling after their first night in genuine comfort together.

Their desk collapsed. No, not collapsed. The desk imploded. It fell to the floor, crushed so thoroughly only kindling remained. All the contents were shattered to dust, and even their pewter caldron was crushed like an aluminum can under the wheel of a muggle car. Only then did Snape turn to see rage and fire in Harry's eyes.

"You can pick on me all you want," he hissed. His voice was deeper than Snape had ever heard it. Powerful. "But you will leave Ginny alone."

Snape overcame his initial hesitation with a sneer. "Or what? Fifty points from Gryffindor for talking back and destroying school property. And as for you, _Mrs. Potter_…" Snape's sneer ended abruptly as the floor under his feet and the ceiling over his head cracked apart in a shocking boom, and the whole room shook violently.

"Harry, no!" Ginny said, turning to him.

"Get out!" Snape roared. "All of you. Potter, you and your little witch come with me now!"

He reached out to grab Ginny's arm in tight, cruel grip. It was the wrong thing to do. Even before Harry could respond, Ginny's own anger burned suddenly bright. Her body took on a fiery, orange glow. Snape jerked his hand away with an intake of breath.

"Don't touch me," Ginny hissed.

The anger Harry felt through their link calmed his own down. He looked at Snape. "Professor, I'd listen to her. Her bat-bogey hex can kill."

"I'm sure," Snape said, not cowed a bit. "Come with me, now. I'll have you both expelled for this."

Snape hung behind the two like an executioner as they moved through the halls. Since all the other students were in class, they encountered no one as they approached the familiar headmaster's office.

Snape spoke the password and the gargoyle stepped aside. Harry and Ginny were the first to enter, and both felt their eyes widen when they saw McGonagall sitting across the desk from the headmaster.

"Speak of the devil," McGonagall said.

"No, he's behind us," Ginny muttered just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. A moment later Snape appeared.

Harry noticed Professor McGonagall's lip quiver a little, though otherwise her face appeared to be stern.

"Professor Snape, may I gather that the tremor I felt earlier has something to do with your visit?" Professor Dumbledore said.

"Mr. Potter saw fit to crack my classroom in half," Snape said. "And then he had the gall to threaten me."

McGonagall's eyes widened, but Dumbledore simply sat through the tirade looking at Harry. Before Snape could continue, however, the headmaster's fireplace flared green, and out stepped a blessedly familiar face.

"Sirius!" Harry cried.

"Oh joy," Snape muttered with a black expression.

"What's going on here?" Sirius said. "I thought this was going to be the snitch and dragon talk." He looked at Snape. "I know you don't date much, but surely you know about that, Sevvy."

The potions professor turned several shades of red.

"Mr. Black, your presence is appreciated," Dumbledore said. "Professor Snape was just informing me of how Mr. Potter cracked his classroom in half."

Black's eyes widened. "Wow. Should we punish him or pay him a reward?"

"Mr. Black, please," Dumbledore said.

"Okay, okay," Sirius said. He knelt down in front of Harry. "So, what happened?"

"He was making fun of Ginny. Then he said she was a conniving witch trying to cheat her way through school."

Black scowled up at Snape. "Well, can't pick on the adults, so you aim for kids, eh, Snivellus?"

Professor Snape's wand left his robe in a flash, only to be met even faster by Sirius's. "Attacking an auror is a very bad idea," Black said. "Especially given your particular history."

"They let you back into the DMLE?" Snape hissed. "They'll take anyone these days."

"They wouldn't take you," Black said with a cocky grin.

Snape lowered his wand. Without looking away from the potions professor, Black said, "Harry, what did you want to do?"

"I wanted to hurt him."

"What did you actually do?"

"I tried really hard not to."

"You mean you cracked the classroom in half?"

"No, I just tried to keep my magic from hurting him. The crack was an accident."

"And what about this, then?" Snape demanded. He held up a hand that was clearly red from burns.

In answer, Ginny shucked off her robe and pulled up her sleeve to show the hand-print shaped bruise on her arm. "That came from when you grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise it," she said.

"Severus," Dumbledore said, "I see you've already taken points from them. I agree that punishment is due, and I shall oversee it personally. In the meantime, please have Madam Pomfrey look at your hand. I'll be along shortly to assist in the repair of any damage to your class."

With a glare of pure loathing at both Harry and Ginny, Snape turne and left the headmaster's office. When he was gone, Sirius sat down. "Harry, cracking classrooms. Really?"

"It seems Harry and Ginny are quite full of surprises," Dumbledore said. "Minerva?"

"This morning, I caught them sleeping together without their tops."

Black ogled Harry. "You've reached second base at thirteen? Merlin's balls, Harry, your dad must be dancing a jig in heaven right now!"

Harry could feel Ginny's face blush.

"It isn't want you were thinking," Harry said quickly.

"And shortly after, I witnessed both of them perform very powerful wandless magic."

The laughter died. For once, Sirius said nothing. Instead, he sat, blinked, and stared at the two for an uncomfortable amount of time. Without looking away, he said to Dumbledore, "Could this be the power he knows not?"

Dumbledore did not move. He did not show any outside sign of anger or distress. However, the office suddenly became thick with magic. "How do you know those words, Mr. Black?"

"How do you think, Albus?" Sirius's voice dripped sarcasm. "James was my best friend. He was, in all but blood, my brother. We became animagi together. Do you honestly think he'd keep something like that from me? Why else do you think I suggested Peter as his secret-keeper?"

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"He is talking about something that you do not need to hear at present, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"Doesn't need to hear?" Sirius stood up. "It's his bloody life, he damn well has every right to hear it!"

"Do you want to place that kind of burden on the shoulders of a thirteen-year-old boy?"

"If it means giving him a chance to control his fate, you're bloody well right I do. You do not have the right to keep this from him, Albus. You don't have the right. It is his life. He's my godson. If you don't tell him, I'll take him right now and march him down to the Department of Mysteries myself!"

"And give the prophecy right into Voldemort's hands!" Dumbledore snapped. He pointed one long finger at Harry's scar. "That is more than just a reminder of a curse, Sirius. It is a connection, one Voldemort will no doubt learn to take advantage of!"

"There's a prophecy about me?" Harry whispered. He looked down and felt Ginny's hand in his.

"There is," Dumbledore admitted with an angry glance at Black. "But I feel that at this time it would be dangerous for you to know it, Harry."

"And again, that's not your call to make," Black said. "I rotted for twelve years in that damnable prison, Albus. You cast the Fidelius charm. You should have known it wasn't me! Did you even try, even once, to get me out? Don't think I'm here to be your poster boy like before. We know where that got James and I. I'm here for my godson, and I will not let anyone, not even the revered Albus Dumbledore, put him in harm's way."

McGonagall cleared her throat, and the sound was shockingly loud in the suddenly quiet office. "We asked you here to discuss Harry and Ginny's relationship."

Black looked at Harry. "Know what sex is?"

"Er, mostly."

"Do it before you're sixteen and I'll kick your ass."

"Oh, okay."

Black looked back to McGonagall. "There, sex talk done. Now, let's get back to…"

"Not now!" Dumbledore roared. Anger and magic flared through the office. Candles flickered, and several went out, only to start up again moments later.

"Then when?" Black roared back, too angry to be cowed by the obvious display of power.

"When I can't wrest if from his mind," Dumbledore said abruptly.

Black eased back in his chair, then nodded abruptly. "Can you wrest it from mine?"

The two wizards stared at each other in silence. As the pressure of magic grew in the room and beads of sweat began trickling down the sides of Black's face, Harry reached for and took Ginny's hand.

Finally, Dumbledore took a deep sigh. "You're auror training, no doubt."

"Trained by Mad-Eye Moody himself, before he went nuts," Black said. "It helped keep me sane in Azakaban when I was in human form. I'll accept your condition. Harry will learn about the prophecy when his occlumency shields are sufficient to hold you out. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Black stood. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like a word with my godson." He noticed Harry and Ginny holding hands. "You might as well come too, Ginger. You'll hear every word anyway."

The three of them left the headmaster's office and started walking through the castle toward the main entrance. There were only a few people out and about as they left the castle into a bright, mostly warm day.

"What was that all about, with the prophecy?" Harry asked.

"There was a prophecy made about Voldemort. And possibly you. I can't say any more. Not yet."

"Until I have occumancy?"

"Occlumency. It's a defensive mental magic that protects your mind from unwanted intrusion. The opposite is legilimency, which is the offensive mind magic. Dumbledore is a powerful legillimens. I hate to admit how close he came to breaking my shield. When your mind is properly shielded, and yours too, Ginny, you'll hear more."

Harry accepted this; Ginny shook her head. "If it's about Harry, he deserves to know now."

"Sometimes, what you know CAN kill you," Sirius said. "You realize that Voldemort isn't really gone, right?"

Both kids nodded.

Sirius tapped Harry's scar. "We don't know how or why, but Dumbledore thinks this might be more than an old scar. Didn't you tell me it hurt every time Voldemort looked at you your first year? Dumbledore thinks that's because the scar links you. After all, there's never been a Potter who is a parseltongue. Chances are you got that from Voldemort."

They continued walking in silence until they reached the lake. "So, let's talk sex."

Harry groaned and Ginny flushed red. "I'm only thirteen, Ginny's twelve. I'm not interested in sex!"

"I was fourteen when I lost my virginity," Sirius said. "That's the age of consent in the Wizarding world for some reason."

The two kids blinked and stopped groaning. "I shouldn't say lost it," Sirius continued. "I gave it away with much energy and abandon. Her name was Annalin Perkins. We called her Perky Perkins. And she was. Perky, I mean."

"How old was she?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"Oh, seventeen or so. I was in fourth year, but even then I had a way with older women." He grinned fondly at the memory. "So, the moral of this story is one; stay clear of 7th year Hufflepuffs named Perky, and two; it's not as far away as you think."

The three of them sat down on the grass beside the lake. "Look, I'm supposed to be the grown up here, but I'm not going to sit and lecture you about how you should abstain until marriage. Once, technically you're already married. And two, unless you're going to enter into a formal betrothal agreement with a Dark pureblood family, virginity isn't all it's cracked up to be as long as your body is old enough to handle it and you protect yourself. What's important is not to do anything stupid. Wizards are immune from muggle sexually transmitted diseases but pregnancy is a real problem. You know the contraceptive charm, Ginny?"

She nodded. "Your mom taught you over the summer, I bet. You're twelve, right?" Again, she nodded. "Why do you think?"

Ginny looked down and blushed scarlet. "Cycle started."

"It started because of your bond, I'm willing to bet."

She looked up in alarm. Sirius shrugged. "Lily Potter was a good friend, and she was very, very smart. She was studying for her healer's license by researching the effects of magic on our bodies. She noticed that new brides' menstrual cycles would actually shift in response to the matrimonial bonds to increase the odds of conception on the wedding night. She achieved her mastery in charms with that paper, and it's sense been proven and is even being taught now, I hear. We already know the bonds you share have affected your magic, so it makes sense it would affect your bodies. In fact, I bet you began your cycles right after the bond. You sleep together, for Merlin's sake. Tell me Harry hasn't woken up with morning wood."

Harry groaned again while Ginny nodded seriously.

Sirius laughed. "Look, let's pretend we're having an adult conversation. Harry, you're thirteen years old. You're on the cusp of manhood. Ginny, biologically you are now a woman. You're sleeping together. Perhaps not intimately, but you are spending a lot of time in very close, physical contact. You can't just pretend to ignore what is happening to your bodies. That'll drive you nuts."

"Are you suggesting we have sex?" Harry asked.

Sirius shook his head. "No. For one thing, it would hurt Ginny. She's still not physically developed enough. Two, you need to sort out just what you are to each other. That's going to come with age. Right now, you're bond-mates. That doesn't necessarily mean you'll fall in love with each other. It'll be unfortunate if you don't, but there's no guarantees in life. I fell in love with at least thirty girls at Hogwarts. And I fell out of love just as many times. But I wasn't happy. Not really. You see, when you get older, Harry, you'll discover that there's a difference between making love and sex. Sex is an empty, physical act. It'll provide some short term gratification, yes, but it won't make you feel any better the next day. But making love—to truly love someone and share your body with them—that makes your whole life better."

"So you're saying we should have sex?" Ginny asked again.

"Hell, I should have had Remus do this talk," Black muttered. "Let's put it this way. Don't be embarrassed of your bodies; just don't do anything stupid either, okay? No sex until Ginny is at least fourteen. Sixteen would be better, and seventeen would be ideal. And by sex, I mean do not put your penis into any part of her body. Understood?"

Harry groaned and fell back against the grass.

"Short of that," Sirius said, "don't be ashamed of who you are or what you share. And when that time comes, you'd better make sure you use those charms, Ginny. You're a Weasley, which means you could probably get pregnant if Harry even sneezes."

"So I've been told," Ginny muttered.

"Well, it's been fun," Sirius said. "If you two want to spend Christmas at the Doghouse, let me know." With that, Black stood and walked away with a jovial whistle.

"That talk made me feel dirty," Harry muttered.

"Me too."

"Stick to twenty-five?" he said.

"Sounds good to me."


	17. Domestic Bliss

**Chapter Seventeen: Domestic Bliss **

Harry clomped down the stairs the next morning with dark circles under his eyes. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked the moment she saw him enter the common room.

"Bad night," Harry muttered.

"What? Didn't get to feel my sister up again?" Ron demanded.

"_Ron!"_ Hermione hissed.

"No, I guess I didn't," Harry said. "I'm a going to get a howler from your mum, aren't I?"

Just then Ginny emerged from the boy's stairs as well. Her hair was hastily combed and she looked as pale and tired as Harry.

"What's wrong with you two?" Hermione demanded.

"We tried just holding hands," Harry muttered. He started forward but caught his foot on a table by the couch and almost fell over Seamus.

"Watch it, Harry," Finnigan said.

"Sorry."

He straightened and started out of the common room. Ginny turned to Ron. "I heard what you said to him. You told mum?"

"How? Oh, never mind. And no, I didn't tell mum. Percy did. He told us all that McGonagall walked in on the two of you naked in bed."

"We weren't naked," Ginny muttered. "We were tickle fighting, just like we used to, Ronald."

"It's different when you're six or seven," Ron muttered.

"Or when you're married," Ginny hissed. She pushed past him, ramming him with her shoulder as she did.

Of course, Ron was twice her size so the end effect was her bouncing off him, but it was sufficient for her to display her anger. "What'd I do?" he asked.

"Ron, sometimes you have the emotional depth of a teaspoon," Hermione said. She followed after, and eventually Ron did as well.

Fortunately, there were no howlers waiting for them in the great hall. There were lots of speculative stairs and giggling whispers, but no howlers.

Harry ate in absolute silence, though he did not eat very much. Ginny picked at her own plate. Twice, they accidently ate horrible clashing foods and eventually just stopped. "You two look awful," Hermione finally said. "Why don't you go to Madame Pomfrey?"

"We're just need to get through Herbology and History of Magic," Harry said.

Herbology was a nightmare. Harry dropped his dandelion, making the angry flower roar in disapproval. Ginny's tried biting her.

In History of Magic, both barely got five minutes in before their heads dropped to their arms and they were sound asleep.

When dinner finally came, they could barely keep their eyes open. Therefore it was with absolutely no enthusiasm that they watched Professor McGonagall approach them. "Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, when you're done, please report to the Headmaster's office. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are waiting for you."

Harry stared up at the professor. Her face was stern, but he detected a light in her eyes, as if she wished it were otherwise. "Percy?" he whispered.

She did not nod, but neither did she deny it as she walked away.

"Harry, I'm really not up to this," Ginny almost wept. The sound of her despair broke through Ron's single-minded attempt to set a new eating speed record. Hermione looked over at the girl as well.

"I'm not either," Harry muttered.

"You both look like you're about to pass out," Hermione said.

"We are," they admitted. "We need to go to bed," Ginny added.

Ron looked down at his plate sadly. "Er, do you want me to go with you?"

Ginny looked up, surprised. "Ron, were you trying to be nice?"

"Maybe."

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for trying, for a change." She pushed herself to her feet and visibly swayed at the effort a moment before she steadied. "Come on, Harry, let's get this over with. Maybe we'll pass out before we get there."

"Okay." Harry stood. The blood rushed from his face. "Oh bugger," he muttered. Beside him, Ginny started swaying again.

"Not again," she whispered as her eyes rolled up into her head. She fell just as Harry collapsed back to his seat and then slid to the floor beside Ginny.

The Weasleys were sitting in Professor Dumbledore's office when Sirius Black and Remus Lupin arrived from the headmaster's floo.

"Sirius Black," Molly said dangerously. "I understand you had a discussion with my daughter yesterday."

"Actually it was a discussion with my godson," Sirius said affably, seemingly oblivious to her unmistakable anger. "Ginny just happened to be there. After all, they can hear anything we say to the other no matter where you are."

"And you were discussing sex?"

"Yep. I told them not to do it or I'd kick their ass. Happy?"

Molly tried to find something to argue with about that. "Harry was copping a feel of my daughter, wasn't he?"

"I do not believe that was the intent," Professor Dumbledore said in a carefully neutral tone of voice. "I believe the bond is simply encouraging them to share as much touch as possible. Professor McGonagall said they were almost drunk from it."

Molly reddened. Just then McGonagall stepped into their office. "They passed out again, Albus," she said by way of introduction. "Molly, Arthur, Harry and Ginny are in the Hospital Wing."

"They passed out, again?"

"I understand from Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger that Harry and Ginny attempted to sleep only holding hands," McGonagall explained. "I have to admit they did not look well this morning, and continued to look sick throughout the day. They passed out shortly after I asked them to come here."

All the adults turned at the sound of a knock. "Come in, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said.

Hesitantly, Ron stepped into the office. "Hiya, Mum. Dad."

"Ron," Mrs. Weasley said. "What are you doing?"

"Don't be mad at them," Ron said. He pursed his lips and assumed the stubborn pose Molly saw so often in her husband.

"Young man, what are you talking about…"

Ron looked at his parents, then down at his feet. "Ginny almost cried. When the professor said you were here. She almost cried. She didn't want to talk to you, 'cause she knew you'd be yelling at her. That's when they passed out. So, don't be mad. It isn't her fault. Not Harry's neither. Don't make her cry."

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Molly started to shriek, only to stop when Arthur placed a hand on her arm.

"Thank you for telling us that, Ron," he said. "Why don't you go back to the tower now?"

Ron, realizing he likely escaped a sound yelling-at, nodded in relief and turned to leave.

"She's not your little girl any more, Molly," Lupin said softly from across the office, with more tact in his voice than Sirius could have summoned for his life. "I can't even imagine how hard it is for you to hear that. And I'll be the first to say it isn't fair for your twelve-year-old daughter to find herself bound to a boy at this age. But the bonds are there. They've changed her, just like they've changed Harry."

"My talk was about them not being embarrassed by the changes they're experiencing," Sirius admitted. "It'll drive them crazy. Harry is a boy. He's a good, honest, wonderful boy, but he's still a boy. Ginny is a girl. She's hardworking, wicked smart and a genuinely good person, but she's still a girl. And there will come a time, Molly, when they wake up and realize just what that means. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it's already dawned on Ginny. She's a bit quicker on the uptake, I think."

"It's too soon for them to be touching each other's bodies!" Molly almost screamed.

"I believe the fact that they are passed out in the hospital wing should show they have very little choice in the matter," Dumbledore said.

"There is also the matter of their wandless magic," McGonagall pointed out. She looked over at her former student. "Molly, when I walked in on then, I immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion, understandably, I might add. But do you know what Ginny did after I walked in? She hugged me, Molly. She felt so good that she couldn't help but hug me. Even Harry was happy, and you know that's saying something. The fact that both of them casually, even unconsciously used wandless magic in that state really did make me wonder if perhaps Ginny was right."

"Right about what?" Arthur asked.

"She said that she and Harry had finally found how to make the bond work right. She admitted that it still hurt them to be separated during the day. When they slept together topless, they slept better than ever before."

Molly's face reddened, but she said nothing as Arthur patted her arm. "Have they woken yet?"

Sirius shook his head. "If they went until they passed out, they probably won't wake until morning."

"How do you know?" Molly demanded.

"It's what happened when I pulled them out of the Durlsey's home. They didn't get enough contact and passed out. They slid together like two magnets, curled up on their sides, and were pretty much dead to the world until the next morning."

"I'll stay with them," Arthur said then. "Molly, why don't you head home? You can come back in the morning."

"Arthur…"

"I think it best, Molly," the Weasley patriarch said with an unusual hint of steel in his voice.

With an angry look at Sirius, Molly nodded a farewell to Dumbledore and McGonagall and left via the headmaster's floo. When she was gone, Arthur took a deep breath. "Tell me about the wandless magic. We saw some of it at the Burrow as well."

"Daddy?" Ginny opened her eyes and saw her father sitting on a wooden chair beside their bed. He looked exhausted.

She was aware of Harry's arm around her waist, his hand tucked to her chest and hugged there by her own crossed arms. But she didn't care. She wasn't ready to let go of the warmth yet. She just wished she were not wearing a pajama top. Madame Pomfrey must have changed her that night.

"Hello, Pumpkin," Arthur Weasley said.

"Where's Mum?"

"At home, probably rehearsing the riot act she's going to read you."

Ginny felt her eyes water. "We didn't do anything wrong."

"Ginny…"

"We'll run away," she said softly, even as she sobbed. "We'll run away. We're legal now. We could stay with Sirius. It hurts so much when we don't touch right, Daddy. Even this…now that we know what it's supposed to be like, even this isn't enough. I don't care what Mum says, I can't…"

Her throat closed off as tears overwhelmed her. Arthur was about to say soothing words to her when he heard a gentle, "Shhh, it's okay," from behind her wall of hair. Still hidden, Harry added: "Your Mum loves you, Ginny. She'll understand eventually."

Ginny shook her head viciously. "No, she won't. Not ever. She'll just…" They started again, exchanging odd words while the thrust of their conversation went on in their minds. Arthur watched amazed as always at just how deep their bond was.

Finally, he leaned over and rested a hand not just on Ginny's crossed arms, but the hand Harry had stuck under them. "Hush now," he said as only a father of seven could. "They'll be no more talk of running away, Ginny."

Ginny blinked at him, then sat up and swung her legs over the bed. She stood uneasily, and then collapsed into her father's arms. Harry sat up as well, and watched with weepy eyes as Ginny sobbed into her father's shoulders. "I can't stand her yelling at us," Ginny mumbled into the lapel of her father's robes. "I just can't. It's not our fault."

"I know, Pumpkin," Arthur said as he gently rocked his daughter, just like he did so many years ago.

When her crying fit finally passed, Ginny climbed down from her father's lap and sat next to Harry. He took her hand, and the two sat with their heads bowed as if awaiting a terrible sentence. Arthur took a very deep breath to speak when the doors burst open and his wife came striding purposely into the room.

Ginny looked up and visibly shrank. Interestingly, Harry sat a little straighter and edged closer, as if to protect her.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley…." She began.

"Molly, sit down please."

The Weasley matriarch stopped mid-stride, caught off guard by her husband's unusual tone of command.

"Arthur?"

He pulled a chair from the wall and placed it beside him, then patted it with an expectant look at her. Wordlessly, she sat down. She opened her mouth again, but he literally hushed her.

Ginny looked on in shock—her father NEVER tried to hush her mum.

"Before you begin, Molly, I want to say something," he said. He turned to Harry and his daughter. "Harry, do I have your word that you will not attempt to have sexual intercourse with my daughter before her age of consent?"

Harry flushed bright red, but nodded. "Of course, sir."

He turned to Ginny. "Do I have your word that you will not attempt to have sexual intercourse with Harry before your age of consent?"

"We were thinking twenty-five, when we're old," Ginny whispered.

Arthur smiled faintly. "Your age of consent would be sufficient for this promise."

"I promise," Ginny said. "But, since we're married…"

"Ginny, the legal marriageable age in Wizarding Britain is fourteen with parental consent, seventeen without. The bond you share, if challenged, could be construed as nothing more than a betrothal. No one has challenged it out of deference to the family because I certified it, but the legality of your marriage is questionable even with my signature over it. The marriageable age should have been a sixteen to match up with the muggle laws, but that bill was shot down so Alfred Pucey could marry his second wife, who was fourteen at the time. Even then, I would be more comfortable if you did wait until you are twenty-five. But I know better."

Beside Arthur, Molly was visibly thrumming with anger.

"Harry, I've known you for these past few years, and believe you are a genuinely good young man. You saved my daughter's life, and gave a part of yourself selflessly so that she could live. Ginny, you have too much of your mother in you to ever allow anyone to harm you like that. So, as your father, Ginny, I give both you and Harry permission to sleep however you need to fulfill the requirements of your bond, so long as you keep the promise you made."

Molly shot to her feet and marched out of the hospital wing. She moved so fast her hair blew in the wind of her passage. Ginny watched her go. "Daddy?"

"My decision stands," he said, a little less resolute. "And I'm sure I'll pay the price for it.'

"What does that mean, sir?" Harry asked.

Arthur Weasley smiled a little sadly. "It means, Harry, that if you and Ginny do decide to wait until you are twenty-five, you'll probably still enjoy each other's embrace before I get to sleep with my wife again. You'll understand when you're older. It's called domestic bliss, which means having the face the consequences of your actions."

He patted Harry's shoulder, leaned over to hug his daughter, and then walked quickly after his wife.

"I don't want to think about my parents sleeping together," Ginny said.

Harry shuddered. "I wonder if you were conceived by Mr. Weasley sneezing?"

She turned to Harry, her jaw hanging open. "Why, you…." Her fingers darted to his neck, and Harry pulled his shoulders up in a desperate attempt to avoid her tickling fingers. His laughter rang out, soon joined by hers as he struck back.

Just outside the door, Molly was giving her husband a piece of her mind when she heard the laughter. Both peeked inside the door and saw the kids running around a bed, tickling each other. Molly's hand lifted to her chest as she watched.

Arthur put a hand on her shoulder. "When is the last time she laughed like that for us, Molly?"

"They're so young."

"They're both old souls, and I think you know it," Arthur said. "Think about what happened to them, Molly. Even without the bonds, they share a common experience neither of us can imagine. I believe they were fated to be together. Look at them. It's like seeing younger versions of James and Lily."

"But James was such a cad when he was younger."

"True, but Harry isn't James. Harry is emotionally where James was his sixth year. And Ginny—that blasted diary changed her, Molly. With Harry by her side, I don't think there's anything our little girl can't do. Please, don't fight me on this. We have their promise."

"You don't think that'll stop them, do you?"

"Molly, I honestly believe Harry would break his own arm before he broke a promise to us. You've known him as long as I have. Don't you realize that by now?"

"And when he finds himself holding those famous Prewitt breasts you're so fond of?"

Arthur shrugged. "I'm sure Harry won't object in the slightest."

"Arthur!" There was no heat this time, however. Molly was remembering the look on her husband's face the first time he saw her chest in the astronomy tower. She was only fourteen at the time, but already well developed.

"You're sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week," she decided.

"Of course, dear."

"And you had better buy me something nice every day for the remainder of the week."

"Yes, dear."

Once his penance was established, Molly took one last look at her daughter and then walked out of Hogwarts with Arthur by her side.


	18. Getting On With It

**Chapter Eighteen: Getting On With It**

After that fateful morning meeting with Mr. Weasley, things changed for Harry and Ginny. Being a DADA day, they spent the morning training with Professor Dumbledore.

The training consisted of relearning first and second-year defensive spells with an emphasis in not blowing out walls or portions of the floor. Although the lessons should have been boring, as before Dumbledore proved to be an outstanding teacher. Again, they learned about the actual spell mechanics and the manipulation of magic that the spell caused. For Harry and Ginny to more ably control their power, they had to understand the basic mechanics of the spells themselves.

In essence, they were getting advanced tutoring in arithmancy from one of the greatest practitioners of magic in history.

Both of them took the lessons with Dumbledore and translated that understanding to the lessons with Professor Vector that afternoon. The processor was suitably impressed with their growing understanding, as was Hermione.

That night, in the privacy of their room, Harry finished combing her hair. "Do we?" he asked.

Ginny shrugged and slipped off her top. After a moment, Harry did the same. They settled down together, and once more she took Harry's hand and held it to her chest. "I wonder how big they're going to get," Ginny wondered aloud.

_Probably so big you won't be able to see your toes_, Harry joked silently.

_Merlin,_ "I hope not! I'd never get to play quidditch if I were so top-heavy I flipped the brooms."

Harry started giggling in her ear. It tickled so much she spun around in his arms. Doing so brought her within an inch of her face. Her breath smelled of toothpaste and just a hint of the pumpkin juice she had at dinner.

"Do you think we'll have sex one day?"

"Dunno. Maybe."

"Wonder what it's like."

_Sirius seemed to enjoy it._

"My parents did. Wouldn't have so many kids otherwise."

"Maybe your dad just sneezed a lot."

_That joke's old, Potter._

Harry shrugged and grinned. Then, because their faces were so close; because the warmth that coursed through him from their bodies being so close; and because the cessation of pain made him happy, Harry leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

She knew it was coming, of course. He kept the link open the entire time. Still, there was a shock to it, a pulse of energy that ran through them both when their lips came into contact. "That was nice," she finally said.

"Yeah."

"Wonder if 25 is too old."

Harry thought about it for a while. "Maybe 23."

"Yeah, that's still plenty old," Ginny agreed. The two settled in closer, her face nuzzling his chest, his chin on her head. He could feel the gentle swell of her breasts on his upper stomach, and the heat that poured through the contact.

He could feel his adolescent body respond accordingly, as could Ginny. _Get it down, Potter._

"Sorry."

_You always are._ "You really don't have any control over it?"

_It gets really embarrassing sometimes._

"You mean like when Tonks sat next to you Sirius's trial?"

_Yeah_.

He shared the memory, and she started giggling. "I don't remember that."

"I was trying not to let you know."

As they talked, the offending piece of anatomy returned to a more supine position, and both of them relaxed. "Least now I know what Bill meant," she said. "He told Charlie his little wizard was going to get him in trouble if he wasn't careful."

She could feel the heat of Harry's blush, but with their link open both knew she was not upset.

"Good night, Gin," he finally said.

"'Night, Harry. 'Night, Little Harry."

Harry burst out laughing. Ginny held him tightly, laughing into his chest. They continued chuckling until both were fast asleep.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

Quidditch tryouts.

Ginny stood nervously with the other young students interested in gaining a spot. Last year's starters, and winners of the Quidditch Cup, stood studying them.

None were smiling, not even Fred and George. Except for Harry. Harry was grinning at her.

"All right," team captain Oliver Wood said. "You should all know that the slots are pretty secured. We have a great team and expect to do great things this year. In fact, since it's my last season, we HAVE to do great things this year. However, we do need to fill in several positions for our reserve team. The reservists are most likely to get a spot on the team when the time comes. So I encourage everyone to try their best, no matter what position they are trying for."

With that, Wood had everyone fly laps and then start handling the quaffles, bludgers and the snitch.

Harry stayed close to Oliver, listening to the commentary. He was surprised when the captain turned to him and said, "That girl of yours is some flier, Harry."

He grinned. "Yeah, she's good."

"What do you think?"

"Reserve seeker and reserve chaser," Harry said. "She's the best flier up there right now."

Fred put a long arm around Wood's shoulders. George put a long arm around Fred's. "You should have seen those two fly over the summer, Wood. They played chasers and beat the robes off our brothers."

"Yeah, you know, the ones who are good."

Wood turned to stare down at Harry. "You mean you and Ginny beat Bill and Charlie Weasley, two former quidditch team captains?"

Harry shrugged. "Ginny's a good flier."

Angelina Johnson joined them and put a long arm around George's shoulders. "Good thing I'm so good, or that girl would make me worried."

"We have at least one reservist, I'd say," Wood said.

/o\/o\/o\/o\

This was the first time ever that Ginny walked with Harry, Ron and Hermione to Hagrid's hut. Of course, this time they were joined by the rest of the third-year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Hermione was walking a little ahead of them, talking to herself.

"You noticed anything wonky 'bout Hermione?" Ron said.

Harry and Ginny shrugged. "No," Harry said. "Why?"

"She just always seems to be running. And popping out behind me when she was just in front of me. It's mental."

"She's taking a lot of classes," Harry noted.

"Yeah, that's why she's mental," Ron muttered. "Not that either of you would notice."

Harry and Ginny shared a look. "It's still the first week of classes, Ron," Harry said. "Haven't had much of a chance to settle down yet."

Hagrid towered above the rest of the students when they arrived. He wore a gleeful look on his broad, bearded face. Ginny wondered about the mild sense of trepidation she felt from Harry when he saw how happy Hagrid looked.

_He had the same look when he talked about_ _Norbert, or Aragog_, he thought to her.

Ginny nodded in understanding.

She began to understand when Hagrid introduced his students to a flock of hippogriffs. _Those are very dangerous animals_, she thought to Harry.

"I know," he whispered aloud. She could see, though, the way he stared at the proud animals as if entranced. Hagrid spoke a bit about how prideful the magical creatures were, and then gave instructions before asking for volunteers. Everyone stepped back, including Ginny, who snickered when Harry finally noticed.

It was too late, however. "Come on, now, 'Arry. Buckbeak won't 'arm you. Just give 'em a bow, like that."

Harry stepped forward and bowed to the animal. Hagrid hovered nearby, and then smiled broadly when Buckbeak bowed back to the young wizard.

"There, now, you're ready for a ride, then, aren't you?" Hagrid said.

"What, wait, no!" But by then Hagrid already had Harry lifted like a child onto the hippogriff's back. The hippogriff straightened and pranced about, but did not immediately lift off. Instead, he looked around the clearing, sniffing loudly at the other students until its large, avian eyes locked onto Ginny. It walked over, its talons digging into the earth, until it stood before her.

Mindful of Hagrid's lesson, Ginny bowed just like Harry.

Buckbeak bowed again.

"Well now, ain't that something," Hagrid said, grinning still. "Think he knows you two 'r bonded and all. Go on then, Ginny. If he thinks he can carry ya both, yer fine!"

Harry grinned and held out a hand. Ginny took it and hopped up. Their combined weight was still less than an average adult. The powerful hippogriff did not even seem to notice. With a snort, the creature unfurled its wings to a great span, and with a few powerful kicks of its clawed feet, shot into the air right over the astonished faces of their fellow students.

Ginny grabbed onto Harry's waist with a delighted cry as they soared through the sky.

On the ground, Hermione and Ron both watched them. Hagrid drifted their way as well. "That's me boy," Hagrid said.

"Yeah, Harry and Ginny are doing incredible," Hermione said.

Hagrid chuckled. "Right you are, little missy. But I was speakin' bout Buckbeak. What a good boy. Must'a smelled her on Harry and thought they was mates."

"He must have smelled something foul then," Malfoy snickered with the rest of the Slytherins.

Ron spun about, red-faced with rage.

Hagrid, however, surprised them all. "That'll be twenty points from Slytherin, and detention tonight," the new professor said. His hands were patting his rather large tummy nervously, but his voice sounded firm.

He walked to the center of the clearing, still upset, while overhead Ginny and Harry continued flying. To the rest of the class, he said, "Hippogriffs and other magical sentient magical creatures smell bonds among humans. Draco, if your ma and pa were to come, Buckbeak would know they was man and wife."

"If my parents came, Buckbeak would be looking for a new professor," the young man said with an arrogant grin.

"Another twenty points that'll be," Hagrid said with a blush. "And detention for a week." Hagrid's anger with Malfoy was overriding his normally hesitant, unassuming nature. "And with an attitude like that, you'd best not be getting' near Buckbeak or any other 'o the hippogriffs. They get offended right easy, and would make a mincemeat outta you. Off with you, now. See Filch for your detentions."

Malfoy turned a brilliant shade of red as he turned and stalked off for the castle. Moments later, Buckbeak glided gently in. The sound of wind rushing through his feathers filled the clearing with a rushing sound.

Harry and Ginny slid off as the hippogriff turned to face them. Holding hands, the two students bowed down and were treated with another bow in return. "Thank you, Buckbeak," Harry said aloud.

Buckbeak appeared to understand and nodded it's large, powerful head.

"Alright, then," Hagrid said. "Who's next?"

/o\/o\o/\o/\

Days passed into weeks into months. The first quidditch game arrived before Harry knew it. Ginny grinned happily in her Gryffindor uniform, even if she was only going to be a reservist. They flew out into the abysmal fall rainstorm to the raucous cheers of their classmates.

Their first game was against Hufflepuff, and Harry was nervous. Cedric Diggory was a very talented player, and in this weather Harry wasn't assured of finding the snitch first.

The game started upon Madam Hooch's whistle. Harry immediately gained altitude and hoped the snitch would have mercy. Even with warming charms his fingers were quickly going numb from the cold rain.

They were perhaps half an hour into the game when he spotted the snitch from the corner of his eye. He took a brief dive to juke Diggory, and then shot straight up after the snitch. It continued flying into the dense clouds. Harry ignored the lightning flashing around him. The snitch was so close….

Suddenly his goggles began to form ice despite the impervious charms on them. He felt the cold reaching down into his chest. Something was wrong.

In the reserve stands far below, Ginny paled and grabbed at her chest. Hermione and Ron were sitting nearby and noticed. "What's wrong?" Hermione said.

Ginny, paling to the color of bone, stood unsteadily. "Dementors," she whispered. "In the clouds. With Harry."

Hermione and Ron looked up and only then saw the way the clouds seemed to be rotating around the spot where Harry had flown. Then she saw it. A speck falling. Falling so very fast. She looked back to Ginny just in time to see her friend collapsing into the stands to the alarm of the other reservists.

She pulled her wand and screamed a levitation spell, but he was too far away. He was falling so fast.

Then they heard Dumbledore's clear, strong voice call out, "_Arresto Momento_!"

Hermione turned to Ron. "We need to get Ginny to the changing room."

Ron didn't appear to understand, but he nodded and performed the levitation spell to get Ginny to the changing room. Several minutes later Dumbledore stepped in with McGonagall a step behind, with Harry levitating behind them. The headmaster and transfiguration professor both appeared livid.

The anger turned to alarm when they saw Ron and Hermione sitting to either side of the bench where Ginny lay. "Is she…?" McGonagall began.

"She sensed when Harry was in trouble," Hermione explained. "She must have collapsed when he did."

Dumbledore transfigured a plushy mattress on the floor. "Please place Miss Weasley on the mattress." Hermione did so. He stepped side and McGonagall placed Harry next to the unconscious witch.

Their arms twitched almost of their own accord and spun them around until they were facing each other, wrapped up in each other's embrace.

"That'd be scary, if it weren't…" Ron began.

"Cute," Hermione finished.

"Yeah."

The touch had an immediate, physical affect on them. Blood rushed to each of their faces and within moments their eyes opened. They simply stared at each other for the longest time, communicating in their silent fashion.

Finally they sat up next to each other, gasping. Harry looked up at McGonagall. "Sorry I missed the snitch," he whispered with a forlorn expression.

"No apologies required, Harry," McGonagall said. "I've no doubt you would have caught it if not for our unwanted guests." She turned to the headmaster, and all the students could see a conversation was brewing there.

Ginny, though, was also staring at the headmaster. "My dad said there was only one spell that could stop a dementor."

"Yes, a NEWT-level spell called the Patronus charm," Dumbledore said.

"We want to learn it," Harry said. He did not phrase it as a request. It came out as a statement of fact.

"Given your recent experience, I can understand why," the headmaster said. "But it is quite difficult to master."

"We'll find a way," Ginny assured him.

"Yes," the old wizard said with a wise caress of his beard, "I believe you will."


	19. Patronus

**Chapter Nineteen: Patronus**

"Wait, what do you mean?" Celestina Hardridge spoke with a hard line to her face. "You're officially in third year. Why can't you go?"

"Because Harry can't go," Ginny said for the third time since her former roommates accosted her.

"Go without him!"

"The headmaster won't let me. Since everyone knows about us, if I go I'm a target."

The girls stared at her. "Target for what?" Mary asked.

Ginny looked down at her hands. "Peter Pettigrew," she finally said.

The girls blanched, and she knew at last the argument was over. After a moment of silence, she looked up, waiting for the next verbal assault. From the pulsing red cheeks of the girls around her, she had a strong suspicion of what it would be about.

"There's a rumor," Serena Bloom began.

"That you and Harry, you know, have done _it_," Mary said.

Celestina sighed. "I told them it was nonsense. You're much too young." Though the pureblooded witch was Ginny's age, she had already begin to fill her brassier and already had her future possible husbands well in mind. "But I did hear that you allowed him to fondle you."

Ginny ground her teeth. "He didn't fondle me."

Serena and Mary's jaws dropped. "Merlin's beard," Serena said. "Do you mean…"

"You know we're bonded," Ginny said. "It's just the way the bond works. We can't really sleep unless we're touching. The more we touch, the better we sleep."

"So you're saying Harry's touched your bobbins?" Mary's eyes nearly popped out of her face.

Ginny shrugged. "It's not like there's a whole bunch there for him to touch. Mainly it's about me being able to put my back against his chest. When we sleep like that, it makes all the difference."

"But he touched your bobbins!" Mary said.

"Would you like me to touch yours as well?"

Mary squeaked and spun around with the rest of the girls Ginny just grinned even while she covered her face.

There was Harry, blushing brilliantly but with a determined expression on his face. "It's about time for lessons, Ginny. You ready?"

Ginny stood and started to leave the table. Mary suddenly blurted out, "But you didn't give me a chance to answer!"

Celestina snorted. "You don't have anything to touch, dear. Let it go."

Harry turned even brighter, if that were possible. Finally they escaped the hall. "I'm sorry about Hogsmeade."

"Yeah, I know."

Suddenly Ginny yelped as a hand grabbed her from around a corner. Harry spun with a frightened cry and a flash of accidental magic. A moment later, he and Ginny were lifting a stunned Fred and George Weasley off the floor. "Blimey, 'Arry," Fred said.

"We were just trying to get your attention," George finished.

"We understand you have a bit of a problem," Fred said.

"And we have your solution," both intoned. They removed a large piece of folded parchment. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Harry and Ginny moved closer as a map of the castle appeared. "Is that the Marauder's map?" Ginny whispered.

Her twin brothers stared at her incredulously. "How could you know that?" George demanded.

Harry pointed at the names. "Padfoot, Mooney, Prongs and Wormtail. Sirius. Remus. My dad. And Peter Pettigrew. They were the Marauders. Sirius told us."

The twins looked at each other for a moment, before both fell to their knees and held the map up like an offering of sacrifice. "Then great son of Prongs, this map should be yours and yours alone."

"Because we already know all the secret passages in an out," Fred added.

"Secret passages?" Ginny asked.

"In and out?" Harry echoed.

An hour later found Harry and Ginny in Hogsmeade, drinking butterbeer and eating chocolate frogs from Honeydukes as they huddled together under Harry's invisibility cloak near the shrieking shack. The trail leading to the shack was coated in several inches of early snow, and the snow had a muffling effect on the sounds from the village.

"This is really nice," Ginny said as she fed Harry another frog.

"Yeah."

"You wish Hermione and Ron were here?"

Harry looked at the shack for a moment, and then shook his head. He put an arm around her and pulled her a little closer. "No, I think I'm okay like this."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, not bothering to hide her smile.

Naturally, at that very moment they heard a familiar voice say, "Ron, its nonsense. Peeves is a poltergeist and he's never actually hurt anyone."

The two third-years came walking down the path toward the shack wrapped up tight in coats, scarves and their winter caps.

"I'm telling you, 'Mione, it's the most haunted place in Britain," Ron said as they came to the shack.

"Even so, what should that matter?" Hermione said. "Ghosts can't affect the living, and poltergeists aren't powerful enough to really hurt anyone."

_I love her, but sometimes she is a know it all,_ Harry thought.

Ginny grinned and projected an image of Hermione's hat flying off her head without cause. The two stood in unison, already decided, when unwelcome company arrived. "A traitor and a mudblood," Draco Malfoy drawled. "All alone. Where is your little friend Potter?"

Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle stood in ominous, stupid silence.

"Go away, Malfoy," Hermione said.

"Or what? Without Potter here you're nothing. What do you think you're going to do?"

Harry and Ginny did not even have to exchange thoughts. They moved as one, staying under the cloak as they walked through the snow behind the three Slytherins. Ron and Hermione were so caught up in their argument they didn't see the footprints in the snow, and as soon as they could Harry and Ginny fell into the footprints already there.

Malfoy was making another empty threat when, without warning, Crabbe's pants fell to his ankles. He was wearing bright pink boxers.

Malfoy started to laugh when his cap lifted off his head and slapped him in the face.

Then they heard a low unearthly moan, as if two souls were trapped together. "_Hungry_," the voices whispered.

All three Slytherins screamed in terror and ran. Ron and Hermione noticed a yellow trail in the snow behind Draco. Only when they were gone did the invisibility cloak lift to show Harry and Ginny collapsed in the snow, laughing so hard their faces were bright red.

"That was brilliant!" Ron cried.

"What are you two doing out here?" Hermione asked.

"Saving you," Ginny said, still laughing.

"Well, yes." Hermione actually smiled. "And thank you for that. But you're not supposed to be out here."

"Going to tell Professor Dumbledore on us?" Ginny asked with a lift of her chin.

"Of course not."

"Then…" Ginny stopped and looked at Harry, then shook her head. "Fine," she said.

Harry stood and helped Ginny to her feet. "We came out because we wanted to," Harry explained. "Under the cloak no one would be able to see us. And no one has. Right?"

"Don't follow," Ron said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We get it, Harry. It's almost time to head back, though. How did you get here?"

"It's a secret," Harry and Ginny moaned together like ghouls. They pulled on their cloak, and slipped into the trees.

"That's scary," Ron said.

"They were just joking."

"Yeah, but they didn't have to talk to each other to do it. Just like the twins. It's scary."

If Professor Dumbledore knew about the sojourn into Hogsmeade, he chose not to say anything about it during their next lesson. They worked with him for an entire hour on trying to get a Patronus Charm to work. The most either could get was mist, no matter how many happy memories they summoned.

"A remarkable start," Dumbledore told the disappointed students. "There are many adults who cannot even do that much. We shall, of course, continue working on it."

As they walked back to their room after the lesson, Harry grinned. "Maybe next time I should think about your chest for my patronus."

Ginny grinned. _Maybe I should think of your little wizard._

Eventually Professor Dumbledore determined that it was safe for Harry and Ginny to rejoin Transfiguration, Charms and DADA. Unfortunately, that meant they had to catch up on almost two months of school work.

Fortunately for them, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Lupin were very understanding, and Hermione had ridiculously detailed notes.

Professor Lupin even let them take the boggart test after regular class. When the boggart surged out as a dementor, Harry momentarily forgot himself and instead used the patronus. Though he would never admit it, he actually did focus on the first time Ginny took her shirt off for them to sleep.

The searing white light of a stag burst from his wand. Though it was not an actual dementor, the patronus was powerful enough to cow the boggart back into its cabinet.

"Well," Lupin said, nonplussed. "It's unconventional, but that does seem to have worked."

_I know what you did_, Ginny said, fighting a grin.

"Worked," _didn't it?_

She pointedly looked down at his pants. Shaking his head and the pair, Remus opened the hatch. Ginny was expecting a dementor because that's what Harry got.

Instead a basilisk shot out of the cabinet, its eyes glowing read. Hanging from one fang suspended like a doll, hung Harry. The fang shot up through his arm, hooking him like a fish.

"No!" she screamed in agony. Before Lupin could react, Harry pointed his wand and screamed. There was no specific spell or wording, just an audible expression of pain and rage.

The boggart made a strange squealing sound before it exploded in a shower of green goo. Ginny fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Harry rushed to her side and pulled her close.

McGonagal came rushing in, wand at the ready. "What is going on here? Professor Lupin, why are you covered in that…goo?"

"Harry discovered another unconventional method of dealing with a boggart," Remus said dryly.

"He transfigured it into slime?"

"He blew it into slime," Remus corrected. He looked down at the sobbing girl. "I'm sorry, Ginny. And you as well, Harry. Boggarts, like dementors, affect those with hard pasts worse than others. I should have realized something like this could have happened."

"What did she see?" McGonagall asked, gently this time.

"She saw the basilisk kill me," Harry said.

McGonagall paled a little. "Yes, well, it didn't happen. As you can see, Miss Weasley, he is fine. And you are too. It's nearly time for dinner. Why don't the two of you go clean up and then head down to the great hall."

Ginny sniffed. "I want extra pudding," she declared.

Harry merely grinned and held her hand as the two left.

When they were gone, McGonagall stared at Lupin. "He killed a boggart?"

"That, or he suffered an amazing bout of sneezing," he muttered as he began to _scourgify_ himself.

"Is that even possible?"

"Oh, it can be done. But not by a thirteen-year-old boy, or even many adults for that matter. Boggarts are supposed to be hard to kill, which is why the standard defense is simply to negate them, rather than kill them. It's actually similar principal to dementors. There is a variant of the patronus that can kill them, but it takes an extraordinary amount of power, or a lot of wizards."

McGonagall looked back to the door where the two students left. "Remus, sometimes I wonder if those two are a danger to others."

"They would be if they were, say, Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. But they're not. They're Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, two of the purest, most loving souls I've ever met. And when they grow up, Merlin help us, because those two are going to be a handful."

"I feel for Ginny's mother," McGonagall said.

"I feel for her father," Lupin said. "Molly has been ranting and raving. Author's been suffering his own doubts and fears and having to shoulder his wife's as well. The man is a saint."

McGonagall nodded and then studied her fellow teacher. "Did Professor Snape get you your potion?"

Lupin nodded. "Everything is fine, Minerva. I just wish those blasted dementors would leave. There is no way Peter would come here. It would take a special type of bravery, or stupidity. Peter is a coward, and he has never truly been stupid."

"If only the Ministry would see it that way."

The weeks rolled on. Now that Ginny and Harry were back in the full list of normal classes, their workload increased dramatically, but they managed to plow through them. The one worry they had was, strangely, Hermione.

She looked tired all the time, and was growing increasingly waspish with all of them. She still let them study with her occasionally, but she was not as available as she used to be since she was taking such a heavy class load.

That was when they first realized something strange was happening. At night in November, as Harry finished combing her hair, Ginny said, "How can Hermione be taking Divination and Arithmancy?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"It's an either/or class," Ginny said. _They're at the same time._

"Oh."

"And she's taking both Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes. Why would a muggle-born need to take Muggle Studies?"

"She said it's to gain the wizarding perspective," Harry said.

"It's taught by a pureblood," Ginny said.

"Yeah, I know. She doesn't even know Muggles have gone to the moon."

Ginny blinked and turned around abruptly. "Muggles went to the moon?"

If not for the link, Harry would have thought she was being funny. "You didn't know that?"

Ginny shook her head, eyes wide. "How'd they do it?"

"They built a big rocket. They went a whole bunch of times in the sixties. The Yanks did."

"Wow." She turned back and leaned into his chest as she did whenever he finished combing her hair. He in turn leaned against a pillow against the headboard of their bed. "I guess I'm no better."

"You're a pureblood too," Harry said. "You never had a need to know any of this stuff."

She took one of his hands and draped it across her stomach like a blanket to ward off the chill. Winter had come early and hard to Scotland. "I wonder what it would be like to live like a muggle?"

Harry shrugged. "It's really not that different. Muggles have lots of gadgets that sort of do the same thing magic does. Remember the week you spent with my Aunt and Uncle?"

"It wasn't that bad," Ginny said. "Well, okay, I suppose it was. But they could have been worse."

"True. I think you were just so cute that Aunt Petunia had a hard time being mean to you."

She grinned and snuggled a little closer. "You're cute, and they were mean to you."

Harry shrugged. "I'm not a girl."

That night, they shared a nightmare of basilisks and flashes of green light. Both woke up gasping, and it was only after Harry hugged her close that they were able to eventually go back to sleep.

Because of Ginny's influence, Harry was not in Divination during THE SCENE. It was the stuff of legends, however, because they heard about it almost immediately after they left class.

Hermione Granger, bookworm, teacher's pet and all around overachieving student, stood in the middle of Divination Class and called Professor Trelawney a bat-faced fraud. She threw the text book at the professor's bowl of tea leaves and stomped out of the tower in a rage.

"It was scary," Ron told them. "Brilliant, but scary."

"What set her off?" Ginny asked.

"Old bat made another prediction that Harry would die," Ron said. "She does it almost every day."

"That would set Hermione off," Harry agreed. "Where is she?"

"I dunno," Ron said in a particularly unhelpful fashion. He left them in the common room and started up the stairs.

_Library?_ Ginny asked.

"Library," Harry confirmed.

They eventually found their friend sitting in the furthest alcove on the highest level of the library, looking out a window at the cold, snowy grounds of the school. Her cheeks were moist, though she looked more angry than sad.

"Hi," Harry said as he and Ginny approached.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

Harry looked at Ginny, who shrugged. "To be your friends."

She wiped one cheek with the back of her hand. "Where's Ron?"

"I think you scared him a bit," Harry said. "He said you were brilliant, but scary."

Hermione snorted and looked out the window. It was recessed in a wide alcove that had more than enough room to sit three adults. Harry and Ginny had no problem joining her, and the three friends just sat for a while.

"I just wanted to learn it all," Hermione finally said. "I feel so…so…left out here. I look at Ginny and Ron and the other pure or half bloods and it just feels like I'm on a boat skimming the surface when everyone else is swimming under the waves. I want to understand this culture I'm in."

"Funny, I was just thinking I wanted to understand muggles more," Ginny said.

"Spend Christmas with us," Harry suddenly blurted.

Hermione blinked at him. "What?"

"Yeah!" Ginny echoed. "We have plans to split the holiday between the Burrow and Sirius Black's house. You could stay with us at Sirius's house. He'd love the company!"

"Sirius Black?" Hermione quivered.

"He's an auror now," Harry reminded her. "Completely innocent. And he really does need help at that house. But more important—the Black Family is not just pureblood, but it's one of the oldest families in magical Britain. And the Black Family library is huge."

Hermione's eyes widened a bit. "Huge?"

"Not quite the size of Hogwarts," Harry said, "but there is no restricted section."

"And then, maybe we could visit you over the summer," Ginny said softy. "If you think it would be okay."

Hermione blinked. "Why, though?"

"She didn't even know about moon landings," Harry said. "She's never been to a movie. She's never had pizza. The week she spent with me before Sirius saved us was the first time she'd ever seen a TV before."

Hermione was done crying and was looking at the two of them with an excited expression. "I can't imagine my folks would mind. It would take some explaining why the two of you had to sleep together, though."

"Mum could tell them," Ginny said.

"Or Sirius. And him being an Auror would probably make them feel a little better," Harry added.

"And in the meantime," Ginny said, "maybe you can tell us what's been going on this year."

Hermione blushed and looked down at her lap a moment, before she reached into her robes and removed what looked like a large hourglass set into several golden disks, hanging from a large golden chain.

"You have a time turner!" Ginny whispered. "Hermione, those are restricted. How did you get one?"

"Professor McGonagall got a special permit for me to use one," Hermione admitted. "She made me promise not to tell."

"But?"

"It's too much," Hermione admitted. "It's not the class load. If they just bothered to create an intelligent schedule, I could handle it. But it's living thirty-five hour days. It's having to keep track of where I was or might be so I don't run into myself. It's stupid, mental Divination teachers trying to tell me my best friend is going to die."

Ginny reached forward and took the hand that held the time turner. "Hermione," she said, "Bill used one, I think. It sort of makes sense now. I remember he came home for the holidays during his third year, saying it was too much. Charlie made fun of him and Bill beat the stuffing out of him for it. But it was because of the time turner. It almost drove him bonkers."

"Drop Divination and Muggle Studies," Harry said. "You don't like the one, and you're living the other. And if you want the perspective of the wizarding world, just spend time with us over the holidays. Like you said, you're our best friend."

Hermione sniffed and ducked the time turner back into her shirt. "Thank you."


	20. Holidays

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* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Holidays**

Molly Weasley waited with her husband on her right, and Sirius Black on her left, waiting for her daughter in King's Cross Station.

During the first war, Molly never developed a close relationship with Sirius. He was always wrapped up with James, Remus, Peter and Lily, and the group was so tightly knit there was not room for anyone else. Beside that, she was busy having a family.

She did not know enough about the man at the time to question Sirius Black's conviction, and felt the same terror everyone else did when he escaped. But in the months since his exoneration and reinstatement into the Aurur Corps, he had in a real sense become Harry's surrogate father while assuming his role as Godfather.

The problem was that Ginny had to be with Harry all the time. They were in essence a single entity, and Molly had to share them with this relative stranger who was already developing a reputation as a womanizer. Word had it that he and Rosmerta in Hogsmeade got along famously at least twice a week, and sometimes loudly enough to be heard throughout the village.

They had tentatively agreed to one week each over the holidays, but she was not looking forward to that second week knowing her precious little angel would be with Black.

Still, Sirius was gracious in his dealings with her, and she felt relieved that Remus would be visiting often as well. The two old friends were renewing bonds torn by twelve years of pain.

Finally the kids came, laughing happily with Ron and their other friend, the Muggle girl with the strange name. "Hey, there, pup!" Sirius said when he caught Harry in a bear hug. Before Molly had a chance to do the same thing, Sirius caught Ginny in another bear hug. "Puppette!" he cried.

"Ger'off!" Ginny said with a smile.

"So, Sirius," Harry said when he and Ginny could breath, "This is our friend Hermione. She's muggleborn and wanted to learn more about wizarding culture. Think she could visit next week while we're at the Doghouse?"

Sirius turned an appraising eye on the girl. She looked a little older than the other two, and was nervously biting her lip. "Did you're parents give you permission, Hermione?" he asked kindly.

"We did," the self-same parents said. The two muggles walked up to the small gathering when they saw their daughter. "Ed Granger," her father said. He held out a hand which Sirius took firmly. "Hermione tells me you're the equivalent of a bobby?"

"More like Scotland Yard," Sirius said. "Most normal law enforcement is handled by ministry hitwizards. Aurors are dedicated to the control and arresting of dark wizards and creatures. So, I guess I'm like a detective. And I would be honored if your daughter would visit Harry and Ginny over the holidays. I'm sure Ginny's brother Ron would be glad to visit as well."

"That's a lot of kids to handle by yourself," Hermione's mother said.

"If they were bad kids, I suppose it would be," Sirius said. "However, I'll also have a friend coming over who happens to be one of their professor, along with a cousin of mine who is still finishing up her own Auror street training. It will be a full house."

"And it will be a chance for me to see how a wizarding family lives," Hermione said excitedly to her parents.

"Or, in the absence of a family, a collection of misfits gathered into a very old house," Sirius said with a grin.

"That sounds delightful," Mr. Granger said. "Do you have access to a telephone?"

"I do," Sirius said. "Just recently installed."

"We'll call you, Hermione," Harry promised. "We have your number."

"See you then!" Hermione said, virtually bouncing as she and her parents walked away.

"She reminds me of Remus," Sirius said when she was gone. "He was the same way. Only much uglier."

"Does that mean Remus will be staying?" Harry asked.

"You can bet on it."

Black turned to an unusually quite Molly Weasley. "I meant what I said about Ron, Molly. I know you're still uncomfortable with having Ginny over. Please let Ron come as well. The four of them are very close, and if nothing else you can rest knowing your daughter isn't alone."

Molly sighed and looked down at her precious girl. "That does make me feel a little better, thank you. After that horrid week she had to spend with Harry's relatives, I've been nervous about her being away. Ron, would you like to join Harry, Ginny and Hermione at Mr. Black's house?"

"Yes," Ron said quickly, speaking as if there was only one possible answer.

"Then it's settled," Molly said. "Oh, and Harry dear, please, let's go a little lighter on the Christmas gifts this year. I'm frankly not sure I could handle the family all getting brooms again."

"Okay, Mrs. Weasley," Harry promised.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Christmas at the Weasleys was a wild affair. There were not a large number of gifts, and what gifts there were tended to be hand-made. Sweaters and scarves, fudge and chocolates. Harry accepted his annual sweater from Mrs. Weasley with a grateful smile, and then laughed when Ginny made a point of putting his on. It was too large on her, but not unreasonably so.

The true joy of a Weasley Christmas were not presents, at least not for Harry. For that one morning, there were no odd looks at he and Ginny. There were no concerned expressions or wistful smiles. There was simply happiness and laughter. It was a true, loving family Christmas.

That night, after stuffing themselves full of a wonderful dinner, Harry sat on the couch watching the older boys playing chess or exploding snap. Percy sat reading a book his father got him, while Bill and Charlie were comparing tattoos to their mother's chagrin.

Ginny sat curled up beside him. A sense of peace settled over him. The peace drifted into a contented, happy sleep.

Nearby, Molly noticed Harry's smile as his eyes closed. Ginny let her head rest on his shoulder and her hand on his stomach. She looked so peaceful herself—a repose Molly could not often associate with her only daughter. She pushed herself up and walked across the cramped living room until she knew down before them. "Should we take him up, dear?" she whispered.

Ginny shook her head and yawned herself. "Not just yet, mum," she said. "It's his first real Christmas, you know. Don't really want it to end yet." She blinked up at her mother. "You know he loves you, don't you mum? He won't tell you, because he can't. But he does. I can feel it every time he thinks about you and Dad."

Molly fought down an urge to cry. "That's good to know, dear," she whispered. "Because we've certainly come to love him."

"Good," Ginny said. She laid her head back down at watched her brothers continue to play.

Less than an hour later, the two were sound asleep. Ron was already snoring in his room, and Percy and the twins had already gone up, leaving Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie alone and staring at the cuddled children.

"They do so remind me of James and Lily," Arthur said.

"They're thirteen and twelve respectively," Bill said. "Little young to remind you of a married couple, don't you think?"

"Well, no point in beating that hippogriff again," Molly said. "Let's get them to bed."

"I'll take Harry," Bill said. "Dad, your back isn't what it used to be."

"I'll take the fire spit," Charlie said. He lifted Ginny off first. She murmured something without waking up, though she kept her hand on Harry as Bill started lifting him.

"He's a lot lighter than I would have thought," Bill noted. He started to turn away, causing Ginny's hand to fall away from Harry's. Both of them cried out in their sleep, and Bill had a moment to yelp before Harry somehow spun him about forcibly until Harry and Ginny were once more curled up next to each other in Charlie and Bill's arms.

"Now that's just bizarre," Charlie said.

"Harry, Ginny, wake up, it's time to go to bed," Bill said.

"You know that sounds odd," Charlie noted.

"Shut it, you," Bill said. "Harry! Ginny! Wake up."

"Son, I don't think you'll be able to wake them," Arthur said with a mildly concerned smile. "Something Sirius told me. If you notice, they hardly touched all day in the excitement. I think they were both so knackered that they need the bond more than usual tonight."

"What's that mean?"

"It means, Bill, that I'm glad you're such a strapping young lad. You can carry them both."

"Not without a feather light charm, thank you very much," Bill said.

The charm was applied and the cuddling kids were carried to Ginny's room and deposited on the bed. Bill and Charlie left the room after saying goodnights to their parents, and Molly and Arthur were left staring down at the two.

"I think we should undress them," Arthur said.

Molly flushed. "I don't know…"

"Do you want them collapsing at Sirius's home because they didn't get enough bonding time?"

Arthur knelt down and started removed Harry's warn slacks and shoes, and finally his shirt, though it was a chore with Ginny virtually clinging to him. They hear their daughter's sigh, though, when she rested her cheek against the skin of Harry's back.

Molly finally relented and did the same with Ginny, until the two young people were left with only their knickers on. Ginny had molded herself to Harry's back so thoroughly they looked almost like a single person.

Arthur pulled the bed covers over them, then went and hugged his wife. "They are going to be together for the rest of their lives," he said to her. "And I want very much to be a part of that life."

"Me too," Molly said. "But why does it have to be so hard? Why did this have to happen to our little girl?"

"I don't know," Arthur said. "But I do know this—I thank Merlin and Magic both that Harry was there for her. That Harry is a part of this family, and that our little girl will never be alone. Think about that. Now, let's go to bed, Molly. It's late even for us."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry woke to the feel of young, pubescent breasts on his back and a wonderful sense of warmth around him. Naturally, the Little Wizard awoke abruptly.

_Down, boy_, Ginny grinned into the back of his neck.

_Tell HIM that,_ Harry shot back. Then he too smiled as he stretched. "This wasn't how we fell asleep."

"Must have been dad," Ginny said. Suddenly her grin died. "Dad saw me without a shirt!"

"Probably seen you before like that," Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, before I had anything to see!" Ginny said.

"I'm glad they did it," he said. "I feel…" _incredible. Don't you?_

"Yeah." _I suppose I do. You know what this means?_

_It means your father is keeping his word, just like I knew he would._

_No, it means _"Mother's letting him. That's completely different."

She climbed out of bed and pulled on her robe. "I'm going to shower."

"Okay," he said. He sat up and pulled on his own tattered robe before going downstairs.

Mrs. Weasley was the only one up and was busy cooking breakfast. Without asking, Harry simply stepped to her side and began to help.

Molly was aware of him, of course, and remembering Ginny's words last night fought back the urge to make him leave like she would her own kids. Then she realized with a bit of a shock that he actually seemed to know what he was doing.

"Where did you learn to cook, Harry?" Molly asked.

"Dursleys made me prepare all their meals," Harry said absently as he started scrambling some eggs. "I know Aunt Petunia knew how to cook, but I didn't see her do it very often. It's amazing how quickly you learn when you get whipped for burning the toast."

He spoke in an offhand manner, as if the thought of someone whipping him were perfectly normal. Once more Molly found herself having to bite down on her normal reaction. "Well, you're doing very well. Thank you for the help."

He suddenly grinned. "Ginny says you're just tolerating me because she can't cook at all."

"The child does have problems in the kitchen," Molly admitted with a fond smile. "At least I know she won't starve."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said as he stirred the eggs. "I'll take care of her."

"I know you will, dear. I know."

The rest of the Weasleys were drawn down the stairs by the smell of food and saw the truly peculiar sight of Harry Potter and Molly Weasley dancing around each other in the kitchen with surprising coordination. Much earlier than normal, a huge breakfast was served and consumed, and afterward Harry took his turn in the shower to prepare for their floo to the Doghouse, as Sirius called his home.

Soon after Harry packed both his and Ginny's trunk, since she could see everything he was doing and remind him if he missed anything, and they were ready to go. Ron scrambled upstairs to do the same thing.

Finally the three of them and Molly flooed over to Number 12 Grimmauld place. They were greeted by a rather attractive young woman with a heart-shaped face and bright pink hair. "Sirius!" she screeched. "They're here!"

She grinned back at them. "Wotcher! Remember me from the train platform last Fall? I'm Tonks."

"You're Andromeda's girl, aren't you?" Molly asked.

"I am at that," Tonks said.

"N…"

"Don't, Molly," Sirius begged as he came walking quickly into the parlor. "Don't say her first name. It's much too early for that."

"She doesn't like it," Ginny whispered to her mother.

"Oh, well, all right then," Molly said. "Is Remus here yet?"

"Aye," Tonks said. "Cute little bum that man has, wouldn't you say?"

Looking at her blushing children, Molly sputtered. "I most certainly would not."

"It's a little cute," Ginny said. "For an old man."

That set Tonks to laughing hysterically. Even Sirius grinned. "Well, the Grangers should be coming over shortly. They'll be joining us for lunch. Molly, would you like to stay for lunch as well?"

"Thank you, Sirius, I wish I could," Molly said. "I have my own brood to feed, however."

"Very well," Sirius said. "Thank you for bringing them."

When Molly disappeared back into the fire, Sirius popped his knuckles with an evil grin. "Hmmm, now your mine."

"And Dobby is a…?"

"A house elf," Sirius said. "Dobby, thank you. You prepared a marvelous meal."

The hyperactive, bug-eyed, bipedal magical rodent grinned happily and disappeared. "The old house elf wasn't really compatible with children," Sirius said.

"Blasted thing wasn't compatible with humans," Tonks said.

"Probably why it got on so well with my mother," Sirius said. The Grangers tried to smile.

"So, I noticed that you don't have electric lights," Calliope Granger said.

"A side effect of a purely magical house," Sirius explained. "In wizarding homes, over time the structure itself becomes saturated with magic. The magic interferes with electrical devices. Right, Hermione?"

The aforementioned girl nodded even as she continued to sweep her eyes hungrily around the room.

"It seems almost Victorian," Edwin noted.

"It is," Black confirmed. "This used to be the winter home. The summer home is a castle out in Sussex, but I've never cared for it. The Black family was rather…old fashioned, I suppose one could say. To give you an example, I often heard my father complaining about that damned charter."

"Which charter was that?" Hermione asked, allowing her curiosity to lead her into his trap

"The one signed by King John, of course," Sirius said with a laugh. "Well, that was delicious. And now, since you're here, would you like a tour of the Great and Noble House of Black?"

"Yes, please!" Hermione said quickly. She was virtually bouncing in her chair.

Sirius showed them around the house, which though it was very large still managed to feel cramped because of the many small rooms and narrow halls. The Grangers were especially impressed with the bathroom, which had a shower, sink and water closet, all without pipes.

"The water is conjured as needed and banished away," Sirius explained. "Most wizarding houses aren't connected to public utilities, so we make do with magic. Same with the lamps—these are ever-burning lamps. I can dim them or brighten them with magic, and they will never need fuel."

"I hope I'm not being rude," Edwin said, "but the house has a certain feel that's difficult to describe."

Black nodded and allowed his smile to weaken slightly. "Black was more than my family's motto, it was also a fairly apt description of our morals. My family was dark-aligned. My parents were racial bigots who practiced dark magic and supported both Grindelwald and Voldemort. I was the first Gryffindor in generations, and when I ran away to live with Harry's father, my face was stricken from the family tree."

"The same happened to me mum when she married me dad," Tonks said.

"We're cousins," Black explained. "There were some good people in the Black family, Mr. Granger, but they tended not to live here. However, as the oldest direct heir, when my mother died the home came to me. I am now head of the family, and I finally have an opportunity to make the house a better place. And that is why I am so thrilled to have company this holiday."

"Is it…is it dangerous?" Calliope asked.

"It was," Sirius admitted. "Which is why I had Remus come over as well."

Remus smiled and waved—he hadn't said five words through the whole meal.

"Aside from being the current defense against the dark arts professor," Sirius continued, "he is also brilliant in identifying and defusing dark magic. He's been helping me sweep the house for dark objects and books. I believe we've about got them all, in fact."

"That's good," Edwin said. "So what will you all be doing?"

"Cleaning," Black said. "The restrictions for underage magic simply can't function in this house because of all the ambient magic. So Hermione can practice her wand work as much as she wishes. And we may do a little redecorating. Might even open up some of the rooms. I don't see the need for twenty rooms any more, do you, Harry?"

"Not at all," Harry said.

Hermione, though, was ignoring everything after the comment on her magic. With wide eyes, she removed her wand and conjured an apron for herself, and then they all waited.

"What are we waiting for?" Calliope asked.

"To see if I get a warning for underage magic," Hermione said. She grinned when nothing came. "Brilliant!"

The Grangers eventually left after getting to know Hermione's friends better, and once they were gone, Sirius removed his wand and pointed at the walls of one of the narrow halls. "_Diffindo!_"

The wall disappeared in a cloud of dust. "Now," he said. "How about some redecorating?"


	21. If No One Hears a Prophecy

Author's Responses have been moved to the forums.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One: If No One Hears a Prophecy, Does It Still Count?**

Cars started driving off the ferry onto the port at Le Havre. No one noticed the rat that scrambled down the edge of the ramp as the cars drove through the terminal gates into the massive port area of the city. The rat found a safe spot on the edge of rail and watched the ferry empty its cargo, only to be filled up moments later by cars going the opposite way.

Only when the ferry had backed away did the rat melt into the much larger figure of a human. He wore clothes of rough cotton weave striped black and white. However, with a flick of his wand the stripes disappeared and he was suddenly dressed in non-descript slacks and shirt.

Peter Pettigrew lifted his head and sniffed at the air. "I'm coming, my lord," he whispered, before he disappeared with a crack.

* * *

Harry snatched the snitch right out of Cho Chang's hand. "I hate you, Harry!" she screamed at him.

Harry grinned as a witty retort came from Ginny's mind through his mouth. "You're beautiful when you're angry, Cho!"

* * *

"Do you like the bra, Harry?"

"That's a trick question, right?"

Ginny grinned nervously as she put it on behind her changing screen. She could feel Harry blocking their connection long enough for her to do this in private. Finally she slipped her shirt on over it and stepped back out.

He grinned at her. "You look fine." _See?_

She saw herself then through his eyes. She needed to comb her hair, she noted critically. However, the bra did little more than give her chest a bit of an angle underneath her shirt and robes. She admitted to being just a little disappointed. She was hoping there would be _more_.

"You look fine," Harry said again.

"It's uncomfortable."

"I can tell. Glad I don't have to wear one."

"Oh go spit and scratch yourself, you prat," she muttered.

Without saying a word, Harry grabbed the comb off the nightstand and started working on the tangled spot of her hair. "You look beautiful, Ginny. It doesn't matter if you can still see your toes or not.'

She looked into the mirror. "I saw the way you looked at Cho during the game. She has a big chest.'

"She's also a fourth year."

"You think she's beautiful too."

"So? You think Dean Thomas is cute."

"You dreamed about kissing her last night."

Harry shrugged. "I also dreamed about my cousin being transfigured into a female hippopotamus and being raped by a big hippo bull."

Ginny blew a strand of red hair out of her face. "Harry, what if we get older and we don't end up liking each other? How could we ever by happy stuck together like this?"

Harry sat on the bed. "I don't know," he admitted. "Are you mad at me?"

"You stared at Cho's bum almost the whole game, Harry. You don't stare at me like that."

Harry opened his mouth, but realized there was no defense. He really had stared at Cho's bum the entire game. He was only thirteen years old, but he was old enough to start noticing the beautiful girls around him.

Ginny was so close to him that he didn't even really think about her like that. She was a constant presence, like a sister or…

"A sister!" Ginny screeched. She turned around, glaring as she ripped the comb from his fingers. "You sleep with your hand between my breasts and you think of me like a sister?"

"Bloody hell, I can't even think in private any more," Harry muttered.

"How could you think of me like that?"

"How the hell am I supposed to think of you?" Harry finally shouted back. "You are twelve years old! Guess what happens when I think of girls like that, Ginny? You know what happens. And we can't do anything like that. We can't even think it, because we promised your dad. So what am I supposed to do? I can't help what I think, Ginny. And it's not fair of you to hold that against me."

"None of this is fair!" Ginny snarled. She turned and stalked to the door. When it didn't open immediately, she pulled her wand and screamed a basic blasting curse. Her magic flared around her and the door exploded into the stairwell. She disappeared, and in his mind he could feel her savagely shut down the link they shared, a skill they had been cultivating for the past few months.

A moment later a flustered McGonagall ran into the room. "What happened here?"

"Had a fight, I guess," Harry said.

"A fight? This was a battle," McGonagall said as she surveyed the room. "Where is she?"

"She's blocking me off, I don't know where she is," he admitted.

"What did you do?" McGonagall said, automatically assuming it was him.

His shoulders slumped when he realized it was. "I was a boy," he said sadly.

McGonagall rolled her eyes and proceeded to repair the door. She let the newly rebuilt door close behind her as she walked out.

* * *

Ginny found her old dorm room empty save for Celena Hardridge. The petite pureblood with the over-developed chest was sitting cross-legged in her bed writing in her diary.

Ginny paused just inside the door and felt her stomach go cold as she remembered another diary.

Celena looked up and smiled. "Why, look who it is! Didn't think I would ever see you here. What's wrong, dear? You look like you've been crying."

"Harry's a prat," Ginny stammered. "I hate him."

"Ginny, all boys are prats. You know that. Come here, tell Auntie Celena all about it."

Ginny walked across the room and climbed into the bed with her friend. "Could you…would you mind putting away the diary?" she asked weakly.

"Of course." Celena put the diary up. "Just making some notes about future prospects. I rather think Cedric Diggory is at the top of the list at the moment. He appears to be a genuinely good chap and a pureblood. Too bad he's dating that harlot Cho."

"Don't get me started about Cho," Ginny said. "Harry stared at her bum the whole game yesterday. He even dreamed about her."

"Really? How do you know?"

"We share dreams sometimes. Er, most times," she muttered. "So imagine how I feel when Cho Chang pops into my head with her two big bongo drums and starts kissing my Harry!"

"But it was your Harry's dream," Celena said.

"He thinks of me like a sister!" Ginny wailed.

"Ohh," Celena said. "That is a hard one. Don't you two sleep topless?"

"Exactly! How could he think of me like that?"

"You know I have a brother, right?"

"Yeah, so? Do you sleep with him?"

"Shush and listen. He slept with a girl when they were fourteen. It was quite the scandal. She got pregnant, because of course they were both too stupid to take precautions, and they ended up having to get married at fifteen. I don't believe they are very happy, but they're stuck together."

"What are you saying?"

"Ginny, we both know some of the Slytherin third years are doing it already. And there was that Hufflepuff girl who just wanted to be a loyal friend, so she'd do anyone in the house who asked before Professor Flitwick got wind of it and she got put on suspension. Maybe Harry is putting you in the sister category to keep from getting either of you in trouble."

"You're giving him too much credit," Ginny said darkly.

"Sweetie, I don't mean to say he's doing that on purpose. He's a thirteen year old boy. He doesn't know what he's doing. He won't know for many years, or so my mother assures me. All he knows is that he promised your dad that you wouldn't mess around. But here you are, sleeping together topless. How does he keep from messing around, Ginny? He's a boy. You're a pretty girl, age notwithstanding. Nice bra, by the way. Did you get it Madam Malkins?"

Ginny nodded. "Mum got some for me over the holidays."

"Self-fitting?"

"Up to a B-cup," Ginny said. "You're already a B-cup, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, but never mind me," Celena said dismissively. "Back to Harry. He is sleeping with a beautiful girl, even touching her in places boys his age never get to touch girls. So how does he keep from missing around with you?"

Ginny felt her tears flowing. "He thinks of me like a sister."

"Exactly. That way he can love you, but still manage to keep his baser self in check. Because there's one thing we all know about Harry. He doesn't…want…to…hurt…you."

"I don't _want_ to be his sister," Ginny wept. "I've never wanted to be his sister. He hurts me every time he looks at another girl."

"He can't help that," Celena said. "Mother told me that men can't help but look. And you know what? We're all young. So what if he goes and snogs someone else? He still has to come back to you every night, and you have to go back to him. Last year you said you thought Dean was cute. Well, maybe if Harry starts chasing Cho you should chase Dean. Live a little. You two aren't really married, not really. You're both young. Try enjoying your life for a change."

"I don't want Dean," Ginny said softly. "I want Harry."

"You have him."

"I don't want him as a brother."

"Ginny." Celena leaned forward until she looked Ginny in the eye. "You can't have him like that. Not yet. Findley swears that having sex so young ruined his life. And I think he's right. You and Harry aren't ready yet, and that's really what you're talking about. If you force him to think of you as a lover, eventually he's going to act like your lover, and you will do something you're not ready for. You two are stuck for life, Ginny. Don't rush into something that will make you both miserable for the rest of your lives!"

Ginny closed her eyes and opened the connection. "Harry's still in our room feeling sorry for himself. He's mad at me."

Celena shrugged. "Deal with it. My parents fight all the time. It's good for you."

"It's hard to fight when we can sense each other's emotions."

"No, it's just more painful," Celena said with a wisdom well beyond her years.

That night after classes Harry and Ginny climbed into bed without saying a word. They lay on their sides with Ginny at Harry's back. She felt the muscles of his shoulders against the soft swells of her breasts and wished she were older.

But she wasn't. She was twelve. Stupid twelve years old. Stupid thirteen-year-old boys who were old enough for morning wood but too young to know what to do with it. Stupid blood bonds that had no right to make the boy she had dreamed of her whole life look at her like a sister.

She didn't even realize she was crying at first. Very slowly, Harry turned around and she saw he was crying too. She wanted so much to talk about it. To express her worry that they weren't going to make it. That they would end up lonely and sad and heart-broken, living in the prison of the other's company. That without him she was so lonely it broke her heart. That she loved him more than she did any of her brothers, but that he didn't love her back like she wanted. Maybe he couldn't.

She wanted to say all this, but she couldn't. All she could do was look into the shadows of his eyes and weep. She scooted closer to him, and she could feel the bulge in his pants. He was crying too—she could feel his grief and confusion and pain. But still he had that bulge. She fought a temptation to reach down and grab him, and tell him in no uncertain terms that she was not his sister.

Celena was right, though. Though she wanted to deny it with all her heart, she knew that if she reached down and touched his sex, then he would do the same to her. The thought was exhilarating and terrifying. But over all, she could see her father's expression, and remembered the promise they made.

She was only twelve. She was not ready for this.

So she turned around, facing away from Harry. She took his hand and pulled it to her chest like always. Eventually the bulge went away, and they finally went to sleep.

In April, Gryffindor played Slytherin. There were no rogue bludgers. No psychotic elves. Just Harry and Draco on their brooms flying after the snitch. There was never any contest, and Gryfindor managed to beat Slytherin by a hundred points to take the Quidditch cup.

The night after the last game, alone in the Divination tower, Sybil Trelawney drank her sherry straight and read one of Lockhart's supposed biographies. Even with the revelation of his deeds, the books were still marvelously entertaining, and he was quite handsome after all.

Suddenly she stiffened. Her eyes went cloudy and her empty glass fell to the floor and shattered. In a deep, roughened voice that was not her own, she said: "_It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has fled the land of his birth. Tonight, before midnight... the servant will rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will rejoin... his master..._"

As quickly as it came, the episode ended. "Oh dear," she said. "I seem to have dropped my glass."

No one ever knew the prophecy had occurred.

* * *

"And I do have some most excellent news," Dumbledore announced Friday evening early in May. "We have confirmed reports that Peter Pettigrew has fled the country. Austrian authorities spotted him there. For this reason, the Ministry has agreed to remove all dementors from Hogwarts grounds." He turned his glittering eyes on Harry and Ginny. "The timing is most auspicious, since tomorrow marks our last Hogsmead weekend."

"Oh boy," Harry muttered.

Across the table, Hermione eyed the two of them thoughtfully while Ronald shrugged and continued shoveling food into his face. "Are you two going to go?" she asked.

"Sure," Ginny said without excitement. "It'll be fun."

"What's up with you two?" Hermione demanded.

"Nothing," Harry said, picking at his food.

"Are you going, then?" Hermione asked.

"I guess," Ginny said.

Harry sat up. "You should go with Celestina and your other friends," he said. "Have a girl's day out."

"Yeah, maybe I will," Ginny said. She got up and left the table without actually eating anything.

Hermione watched the red-head go. Even Ron watched, a little confused. He then turned to Harry. "That means you and I can go shopping for quidditch supplies!"

"Sure, Ron," Harry said.

"Harry, did you try sending her good thoughts?"

He turned and stared long and hard at Hermione. "Kind of hard to send what I don't have," he said before he too stood and left a mostly untouched plate.

"They'll make up," Ron said dismissively. "It'll be good to get my mate back, though."

Hermione glared. "Ron, sometimes you make me sick."

"What? Why?"

"Exactly my point!" She got up and followed her friends out. Ron looked on in confusion for a moment, shrugged, and then continued eating.

* * *

Of course, if Harry had thought about it, he would have known that Celestina and Ginny's other friends were still second years and so could not go to Hogsmead. Instead, Ginny managed to snag Parvati Patil and Hermione.

Harry didn't want to go. Neither he nor Ginny slept well—they held hands and touched legs only that night, and both woke up exhausted and grumpy with each other for the other's stubbornness. But Ginny was going, so Harry decided he had to go, if only to keep Ginny from getting the last word on the matter.

Ron pulled Harry along with Dean and Seamus in a separate carriage, and the boys quickly started talking about quidditch. Everyone knew not to mention Ginny, given the events of the past year, but it was still a very long ride.

Eventually he waved off an attempt to get him into the Three Broomsticks and instead just walked around the village. He knew he was in a funk, and his exhaustion didn't help.

He realized that he absolutely dreaded the coming summer. The idea of having all of the Weasleys around him when he and Ginny were having such problems was frightening. The thought of Molly Weasley looking at him with disapproval for how he was treating her daughter was enough to make his breath catch.

He really wanted to spend the whole summer with Sirius, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do that.

After an hour, he decided there was no point in him wandering around the village and so started to head back to the carriages when he felt a wave of cold. He looked up and saw a shadow pass over his head.

A dementor.

"What is that doing here?" Harry said aloud.

A second later came another shadow, followed by a third, then a forth. The air grew noticeable colder as more and more shadows passed over head, until the whole day seemed to darken. He walked back into the main street of the village and watched as the cloud of dark creatures descended into a side street by Madam Puddlefoot's.

He was about to go get Professor Lupin when he heard a scream. Only, it wasn't a scream that reached his ears. It was in his mind, followed by a stabbing cold sensation in his chest.

The other students were spooked, but evidently never saw the creatures overhead. They stood around in confusion, trying to identify the source of their unease. Harry sprinted past them, running toward the side street.

He turned the corner and froze in terror.

Ginny lay on the ground. Parvati and Hermione were both passed out against the wall of the tea house. In a vortex of living darkness the dementors swirled around Ginny's body. As he watched, he felt the stab of freezing cold in his chest again and a pull on his mind. He saw a flash of green and heard a woman crying out. The world started going dark.

A spark of light rose up out of Ginny's mouth toward the open mouths of the dementors.

The light was her soul. The dementors were killing Ginny. His Ginny.

He started running toward them. The dementors ignored him as the light from Ginny's soul passed into one of them. "No!" he screamed. "She's mine!"

He didn't reach out with his wand or his magic. Instead he reached out with the link he and Ginny had shared since he saved her last year in the Chamber of Secrets. The dementors all started to rise up into the air, save the one that consumed her essence. It stopped as if caught in a trap.

The others paused a little higher, confused.

"You can't have her!" Harry screamed. "You can't!" He reached Ginny's empty body and pulled harder on the link. The dementor jerked down toward him with an inhuman squeal. The other dementors suddenly dove at Harry.

He raised his wand and remembered the morning after the first time he and Ginny slept without their tops. He remembered the sheer joy and freedom they felt with each other. Of the happiness.

He was expecting a silver stag when he screamed out the Patronus charm. That's what his patronus always was when Professor Lupin showed them. However, what emerged was a red-tailed fox, only a huge one that burned with brilliant white light. The light seemed to burn both the dementor in Harry's grip and those trying to attack him. Those who could fled. The one trapped by Harry gave an inhuman scream of pain.

Finally, with a cry himself, Harry pulled on the link with everything he had. The dementor's screams turned into shrieks as it literally exploded in a cloud of black smoke. From the center of the smoke came the sparkling light.

The light came to Harry. It came to him so fast he didn't even have time to blink before it shot into his mouth. He felt heat and power fill him, and Ginny's presence. He looked down and realized that Hermione was awake and kneeling beside Ginny. There were tears in her eyes—Ginny was not breathing. She was pale.

She was dead.

"Never," Harry whispered. He leaned down and placed his lips on hers. He opened his mouth and willed the heat into her body. He felt it pass out of him, and he felt somehow weakened and diminished by its absence—until his link with Ginny snapped back into place. A wave of lethargy swept over him, robbing him even of the strength to sit upright. He literally collapsed over Ginny's body.

Her eyes opened. "Harry," she whispered.

"Hey, Ginny," he said with a weak smile.

"You saved me."

"It's what I do," he said. He was struggling to keep his head up. "We may not always get along, Ginny. And I may look around at other girls. But even if I do that, I still love you."

Ginny tried to sit up, but she was too tired herself. "I love you too, Prat."

"Good."

He closed his eyes, and Ginny closed hers.

Hermione for her part looked up and saw a solid wall of their fellow students watching. They had watched the whole exchange starting from when the first dementor squealed. Only when it was all over did Professor McGonagall rush past them and run to their sides. "Miss Granger, what has happened?"

"Dementors," Hermione said. "Parvati's still out."

"And these two?"

"They kissed Ginny."

McGonagall blanched. "Dear Merlin!"

"Don't worry, Harry got her soul back. Ripped it right out of the dementor. He kissed Ginny and put it back, and now…" Hermione grinned weakly. "Now, I think they're asleep."

* * *

Harry and Ginny woke in their own bed two days later. Ginny's brown eyes snapped open and found Harry's green eyes staring right back at her. She was aware of his arm around her hip and his hand against the small of her back, just above the rise of her buttocks. He was aware of her small breasts pressed against his chest, and the way their legs were intertwined.

Ginny felt his arousal and did nothing to stop it or help it. It was simply part of him. "I am not your sister," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse.

_I know_, he thought back. _I've dreamed about you too._

She knew he had—vague, confusing dreams of them pressing against each other. Neither had any concept of what sex really was, but still they dreamed of the motions; of the possibilities.

"I know we're too young," Ginny said. "And I know that you are going to look at other girls."

_You can't keep punishing me for my thoughts._

"I am afraid. What if you see a girl you like more than me? What if next year Padma or Parvati or Lavender want to do more than cuddle? Would you love them?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted aloud.

Ginny closed her eyes. She wanted him to profess his undying love to her; to promise they would be together forever and ever. But she also knew he could not lie to her. That he wouldn't lie to her.

She felt moisture gather in her eyes. _I want to be your first._

_I want that too_, Harry said. _But I'm starting to think twenty five is too long._

"The age of consent is fourteen for me."

"That's two years away for you," Harry said.

His bulge had not gone down at all. If anything, it was actually harder.

He was thirteen. She was only twelve. She deliberately reached down and placed a hand over the bulge. "We have nowhere else to go," she whispered.

Harry's eyes widened and his breath caught. "I can't promise how I feel," he said. "I can't promise…." He stopped as her fingers gently surrounded the bulge in his shorts. "Ginny…"

"I want to be your first," she said again. "I don't care what you do up to that point. If you want to snog other girls or look at their bums, I promise I won't be mean about it. I won't yell at you for your dreams any more. If you promise me that you won't go all the way. Promise me that I'll be your first, and I'll promise you that I won't try to stop you from being a normal boy."

Her fingers now fully enclosed his member through the fabric of his boxers. She literally had him by the bits. "I'm afraid not too, now," Harry said.

Ginny grinned. "Promise me, Harry."

"Okay, Ginny. I promise that you will be my first. If you make the same promise to me."

"I promise," she said. She could feel him throbbing under her hand. She did not want to let go, but she did. She was only twelve years old, after all. Slowly, deliberately she leaned forward until their lips met. She opened her mouth and for the very first time their tongues touched.

A huge wave of heat passed through them both, washing away the exhaustion from their encounter with the dementor. However, greater needs, such as breathing, forced them to part. Harry stared at her wide-eyed. "You are definitely not my sister," he agreed.

"No. I'm the girl that loves you."

"And I love you."

"Promise?"

He grinned. "I promise."

* * *

sp

sp

**Author's Note:**

This is the end of Harry's 3rd year. The chapter was a bit longer, but also moved through quite a bit of time mainly because, with Pettigrew gone, there was not much happening.

I am going to take a brief hiatus to prep for the next year's posting. Probably no more than two to three weeks. Once I start posting again I hope to again start posting weekly.

Thanks for reading.


	22. Summer Doldrums

**Author's Notes**: Chapter 21 responses are in my forum, usual place. There were a lot of them! I would like to say thank you for all the readers. This is now the single most reviewed story I've ever written.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Summer Doldrums **

"So they actually sleep together?"

Hermione fought an urge to sigh. It was the third time her mother had asked the question. "Yes, they do."

"And their parents are okay with this?"

"You know Harry lives with his Godfather," Hermione said. "Or with Ginny's family. They take turns I think. I suppose they have to be okay with it since they really don't have a choice. Everyone can always tell if they didn't sleep close enough. Sometimes they'll even pass out."

Calliope Granger stared at her daughter with narrow eyes. "Sweetie, I'm not really comfortable with letting two young teenagers sleep together in this house. How old are they again?"

"Ginny just turned thirteen, and Harry's fourteen now. And they're giving up a chance to see the quidditch world championship to stay with us."

"I'm still unsure why," Calliope noted. She saw Hermione's hurt expression and quickly added, "Sweetie, I didn't mean it that way. I'm thrilled your friends want to spend time with you and of course they're welcome, but I'm just not sure why they would want to."

"It's for Ginny," Hermione said. "She's a pureblood witch. She's never experienced the normal world before. Harry is coming because he has to stay with her, and he's my best friend." She pleaded with her mother. "Please don't ruin this. It's the first time anyone has ever asked to stay with me. Please."

The doorbell rang. Hermione jumped up, wide-eyed. "They're here!" she screeched as she ran to the front door. Calliope followed at a more sedate pace and arrived just in time to see the door swing open.

Hermione's school friends stood just on the other side, smiling shyly. Calliope couldn't help but notice the dark rings of exhaustion around the eyes of both the children. Behind them stood a tall man with the goatee and red robes, and a portly woman with hair the same color as the girl's. "Hello again, Mrs. Granger," the man said. "Sirius Black. We met over Christmas."

"Harry's Godfather, right?"

"Right," Black said. "And you've met Molly Weasley."

"Good to see you again, dear," Molly said. "I was hoping to talk to you for a moment about Harry and Ginny's sleeping arrangement."

Calliope nodded and watched as Hermione led her two friends up the stairs, already jabbering about something having to do with transfig…something. She noticed that Mr. Black had not followed them in.

"Where is Mr. Black?"

"He's warding your home," Molly said. "He's a ministry-sanctioned auror now, so he can do that for you."

"I'm sorry, what's that mean?"

Just then Hermione returned with Harry and Ginny on her heels. "He's warding the house? Can we go watch?"

"What is warding?" Calliope demanded.

"A magical alarm system," Hermione shouted back as she ran toward the door.

Suddenly the two women were alone in the house. "So, about Harry and Ginny," Molly said. She wore a tight smile.

"Hermione said they needed to sleep together?"

"It's true I'm afraid," Molly said with a tragic sigh. "There was an incident during Ginny's first year. My poor girl almost died. Harry saved her life, dear boy. Didn't hesitate a moment, but there was the side-effect."

"I don't…"

"Her soul was being attacked," Molly explained to the befuddled woman. "A dark magic was consuming her very soul. Harry saved her, but in the process his soul was also damaged. But rather than lose their souls, they actually received a little of the other's. A part of Ginny's soul is in Harry, and a part of his soul is in her. It's what is known as a Soul Bond. The first real one anyone has seen in I don't know how long. But what that means is that…" Molly stopped speaking and took a deep breath. "Look at me. A full year past, and still it's hard to talk about."

"Molly, it sounds as if they were hurt."

"They were, terribly," Molly said. "And they keep hurting. My little Ginny admitted the pain never really goes away, except when they touch. It wasn't a bond formed out of love. It was a bond formed out of pain and desperation. And they need to touch several hours every day to keep from collapsing. And that's why they sleep together. And believe me; it has been hard for everyone, including them. Why, we had to have the school medwitch out just a week past to check on them. Poor dears still aren't sleeping well enough. Still, the only good thing out of this is that Harry is such an absolute dear. His parents would be so proud of what a good boy he is."

"So it is rather like a disability," Calliope said, wrapping her mind around the concept as best she could.

"I suppose so," Molly said, not entirely sure what the term meant.

Just then the door opened and Sirius Black walked in surrounded by three teenagers. Hermione was plastering him with questions regarding the different runes he used, while Ginny listened intently and Harry just smiled fondly at his friend.

Sirius stopped at the kitchen table where the two women spoke. "Mrs. Granger, I hope you don't mind my taking the liberty of securing your property."

"Not at all," Calliope said. "What did you do again?"

"Some magical protection," he said. "Anti-apparition wards, a classic Do-No-Harm line to repel those who would harm you, and a mild compulsion charm to keep away solicitors."

"That was my suggestion," Hermione said proudly.

"Since you have magical children in the house, some basic safety precautions were warranted." Sirius looked over his shoulders at the teens and winked. "So, judging from her marvelous complexion I think it's safe to assume Molly has told you about Harry and Ginny. Did you have any questions?"

"Is there…are there any other things about them I need to know about? Are they allergic to anything?"

"Allergic?" Molly asked, confused.

"Wizards don't have allergies, mom," Hermione said.

Calliope blinked. "Really?"

"At least not to mundane things," the girl added.

"And here I thought you just took after your father," Calliope said with a touch of jealously. "Well, I suppose that's that, then. Shall I see you at King's Cross?" she asked the adults.

"We'll be there," Molly promised.

Sirius handed over a small hand mirror and a card. "You can reach me with either of those. We have a phone line now. Cost a pretty-penny to ward it to work in the house, but it does."

"And the mirror?"

"It's a magical mirror," Hermione said, her eyes wide. "Think of it like one of those video phones you see on television or movies."

"Okay," Calliope said.

After goodbye hugs were dispensed with and trunks were put away, they all gathered together in the kitchen. "So, what shall we do?" Calliope asked.

She should not have been surprised when Hermione pulled out a notebook. "We made a list of all the normal things Ginny has never done," she said.

Calliope glanced over and felt her eyes widen when she saw how long the list was. "That's a lot to do, sweetie. Your father and I didn't budget…"

"It's all right, Mrs. Granger," Harry said. He removed a huge wad of pound notes and put it on the table. "I have money. Sirius helped me change some galleons into pound notes. Did you know you get more if you just sell the galleons for gold instead of letting the goblins convert it? I'll take care of Hermione, Ginny and me. And you, if you'd like. It's about lunch, though, and Ginny has never had Indian food before."

"Neither have you," Hermione pointed out.

"But the Durlseys did," Harry said. "I never got to eat it, but I could see and smell it, so I know what it is."

"Indian it is, then," Calliope Granger said with a confused but patient smile.

Ginny, though, was wide-eyed. "Um, guys, do muggles really eat…Indians?"

* * *

The only time Ginny ever spent in a non-magical home was the week she spent with Harry at the Dursleys.

Her time with the Granger's was completely different. For one thing, Edwin and Calliope Granger were incredibly nice. For another, Hermione was always there, talking excitedly. That first night, after they said their good nights and Harry and Ginny settled in for sleep, Ginny shook her head.

_How can she talk so much_?

"Magic," Harry said aloud. The two giggled, but it was a tired sound. Even sleeping together topless, they still woke tired and pained. Still, it was better than those first few harrowing days after the bond initially formed. And exhaustion or not, Ginny was determined to make this the best summer she or Harry ever had.

The next day they went to Piccadilly Circus, followed by a trip to Pollock's Toy Museum. Their trip the next day to the Royal Air Force Museum left Ginny wide-eyed in delight. "Dad would love this!" she said in awe.

Every day they picked two or three sights around London, things that most Londoners did fairly often that Ginny had never even heard of, much less seen. Her delight was infectious, and soon either Calliope, or Edwin if he had the day off, was smiling as broadly at the children.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, Harry James Potter," Ginny said after they walked out of a movie that left Ginny speechless. "It's not like the Dursleys ever let you go to a movie."

"No, but I've seen TV," Harry said quickly.

"So? You've…." She stopped talking but kept gesticulating as if she were.

Calliope was with them that day and watched, bemused, as Harry responded silently.

"Guys," Hermione said, "stop with the silent talk, okay? We're in the middle of the street."

Both kids turned beet red. "Sorry," they both muttered.

"What was that?" Calliope asked, genuinely curious.

"Soul bond," Harry muttered.

"We don't have to talk out loud to talk."

"They're telepathic, mom," Hermione translated.

"Wow."

That weekend the five of them went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It was the first time either Harry or Ginny had ever been to an amusement park, although Harry had at least seen it advertised on the telly.

Ginny was simply overwhelmed. She took to the rollercoaster with abandon, riding it over and over again. Harry rode right along with her, laughing the entire time. Hermione and her parents stayed firmly on the ground.

"They sure do like the faster rides, don't they?" Edwin noted as Harry and Ginny rode the older water coaster.

"Quidditch players," Hermione said dismissively. "You'd think after flying around on a broom at a hundred kilometers an hour, rides like this wouldn't be so exciting."

A few rides later, Ginny discovered bumper cars. "You mean we just drive the cars around hitting other people?" she said, confused at first.

Hermione nodded and then pointed at the current riders who were doing just that. Ginny's face took on a decidedly mischievous look as she grabbed Harry's hand. Harry, who at that moment was enjoying a ball of cotton candy, let out a frustrated growl as her sudden pull caused him to drop his treat. "Ginny!" he whined even as she dragged him into the line.

Hermione was willing to try the bumper cars as well, and so the three young people clambered into their cars as Hermione's parents watched. Hermione thought her growing up around autos would give her an advantage over her friends. She was sorely mistaken. Ginny and Harry both started grinning maniacally, as if sharing a joke only they could hear, and the moment the ride started the two sheered away from each other. They then converged on their nearest victim like a pair of scissors, catching the car from front on one side and the rear on the other and forcing the poor soul in the middle to spin around.

They did it again and again, finally finishing with Hermione before the ride ended. Ginny was laughing with such open delight Hermione couldn't find the heart to be mad at her.

They finished the day with the cableway ride around the park, giving Ginny a brooms-eye view of the entire park. "You know," she said toward the end of the right, "I think this was better than the World Cup."

"Yeah," Harry said. The two turned to the Grangers. "Thank you both for having us," he told them. "This may very well have been the most fun I've ever had."

Ginny snorted. "More like it's the only fun you've ever had."

Harry glared a moment, then drew her into a hug and looked out the window.

Calliope happened at that moment to be looking at her daughter and noticed a pensive expression on Hermione's face.

* * *

A few days later, they arrived at King's Cross station. Even the Granger's noticed the increased crowd and the people in the red robes. "What's going on?" Calliope asked.

"Those are aurors," Hermione said. "What are they doing here?"

Almost before she could breathe, they were intercepted by Sirius Black and a long line of Weasleys. "Good, you're all right," he said.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Harry asked.

"There was an attack at the World Cup last night," Sirius explained. "Death Eaters started muggle-baiting and it caused a riot. Then someone set off the Dark Mark over the campsite—that was the mark the Dark Lord used during his attacks."

"Oh no!" Ginny said, pale. She made no move as her mother vacuumed her into a spine-bruising hug. Harry did not bother to resist as he was sucked up next.

"So glad you two are safe!" Molly said. She finally regained her composure. "So, did you have a good time?"

"Did we!" Ginny exclaimed, all thought of Death Eaters forgotten. They spent the rest of their time listening to Ginny describe her time in the muggle world to her bewildered mother and siblings. Calliope followed along as far as she could, amused by the perspective of the strange but adorable girl.

She watched as Ginny, Harry, Sirius and the Weasleys disappeared behind the barrier that served as an unbreakable wall between her world, and the world her daughter was now thoroughly a part of.

Hermione still had that sad, pensive look on her face she had in the park. She leaned down and hugged her, then let Edwin do the same. Before Hermione ducked behind the wall, though, she said, "You are a smart, beautiful young woman, Hermione. When the time comes, the right boy will notice. I promise."

Hermione blinked, startled by her mother's perceptiveness. She smiled weakly. "I think I lost the right boy, Mum."

"No, sweetie, you didn't," Calliope said. "Because you haven't even begun to look yourself. Don't worry, though. You're not even fifteen yet. It will happen in time."

Hermione spared her mom one last smile, before she hefted her trunk and Crookshank's cage, and disappeared behind the wall.

* * *

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One last Author's Note: Yes, I know it was short. Sorry for that. But I do have good news-no more breaks. Barring anything unforeseen circumstances, I should be able to post non-stop for the remainder of the story. Hopefully that will help you forgive me for the shorter than normal chappie.

Thanks for reading!


	23. The TriWizard Tournament

**Author's Notes**: Chapter 22 responses are available in my forums.

**WARNING**: Please note this chapter contains frank discussions of sex, and some activity of a sexual nature. Note this is an M rated story. Thank you for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The TriWizard Tournament**

"Ginny?" Hermione asked. "Where is Harry?"

Ginny wiped her eyes and looked up at her friend. Hermione wore the perennial 'Worried about Potter' expression Ginny had come to know so well over the last year.

It was the morning of November 1st, a Saturday, and the day after Harry Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire. Harry was the fourth champion in a three champion tournament, and neither he nor Ginny had any doubt that it was another ploy to kill him.

In the anteroom where the other champions gathered, the two of them yelled and shouted and cajoled to get out Harry out of it. The other champions watched with bemused expression as the young couple screamed curses at Barty Crouch Sr. as they tried to point out it was an obvious trap to kill the Boy Who Lived.

Nothing they said mattered.

Ginny woke up the next morning tired and in pain, and more importantly she woke up alone. She knew Harry left even though they didn't have enough touch time that night. Both had suffered from terrible nightmares, Harry especially.

When she came down to the common room alone, she found Hermione and Ron waiting for her, with the twins hovering nearby. She tried smiling when Hermione asked about Harry, but she was so tired, and her head hurt so much, it came out as a grimace.

"He left really early. I think he's in the Chamber."

"Chamber?" Hermione asked.

"Of Secrets."

Ron blanched and Hermione's eyes widened. "Why?" Ron said. "I would think he'd be happy. He's a champion."

If Ginny did not feel so very bad, she would have slapped her brother. Hermione, though, clucked her tongue. "Ron, what is wrong with you?"

"Ron's jealous," Ginny said bitterly. "He's jealous that someone is trying to kill Harry by forcing him to compete in a tournament meant for adult wizards. Well, Ron, you can have it you stupid arse!" She charged by her stunned brother and walked out of the common room.

She needed Harry, and she knew from their bond that he needed her, but he was too stubborn to admit it. So while Harry sulked and hid in the chamber, she made her way to the Great Hall to try and eat.

She didn't even notice the twins following her until she sat down. George sat down to her right and Fred to her left. They didn't say a word to her, but instead started their normal banter, discussing the Beauxbatons' girls as if Ginny weren't here.

It was one of the kindest things her brothers had ever done.

Despite their best efforts to make her feel all right, though, Ginny couldn't eat. The pain in her head was so bad it was making her nauseous. "Thanks, guys," she whispered before she stood and made her wait to the head table.

Dumbledore wasn't there, but McGonagall was, sipping her tea while reading the paper. She looked up with a pleasant smile that turned to a grim frown when she saw Ginny. "Are you all right, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny looked around and was relieved that none of the other staff were there. "I need Harry," she whispered. "But he's pouting in the Chamber of Secrets. Do you think Professor Dumbledore could help get him?"

"Is he ill?"

"No more than me. He's just more used to pain, I guess. It really hurts, though. It was a bad night."

McGonagall folded her paper, placed it over her mug of coffee, and stepped down from the table. Ginny started to sway and then reached out for the professor's hand. McGonagall looked surprised for a moment, but merely nodded and gripped the younger hand in hers.

Holding hands, the two left the still mostly empty Great Hall. Her brothers watched her closely. Unfortunately, so did the handful of Beauxbaton's students who were eating with the Ravenclaws. The French students snickered at the sight of a supposed fourth year holding her professor's hand like a little girl.

Dumbledore was in his office when the two arrived. He listened to Ginny's request and stared at her over his half-moon glasses for a time before he nodded. "Then by all means we should go fetch him. Before we do, however, I notice that you looked especially peaked this morning. My understanding from last year was that you could go most of a day even if you did not touch sufficiently at night."

"Got worse after the dementors last year," Ginny confessed. "We have to hold each other a lot more now. We told Madam Pomfrey when she visited us this summer."

"More?"

Ginny sucked in a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. "Professor, please, can we go? It hurts."

McGonagall glared at the old headmaster, who nodded abruptly. "Of course, I'm very sorry. Let's go. I believe the entrance is in the third floor girl's lavatory?"

The three of them made their way through the school. The halls were starting to fill a little with kids taking advantage of the weekend to either study or just play. A few gave the trio an odd look, but knew better than to follow. When they arrived at the bathroom, McGonagall entered first to ensure there were no girls there before Dumbledore entered.

"Well then, Ginny, if you would do the honors?" the old professor said.

She turned and stared. "What?"

"My dear, through your bond you have grown very powerful. You share Harry's thoughts and dreams. Do you not think you might share his powers as well?"

That never even occurred to me. She turned to the sink when she heard a shriek. She looked up just in time to see Moaning Myrtle staring at her in horror. "You!" the ghost hissed. "Don't you hurt Harry!"

"Myrtle!" McGonagall snapped. "Miss Weasley is bonded to Mr. Potter. She most certainly will not hurt him."

The ghost blinked. "Oh, well, okay then." Embarrassed, the spirit dove into a bathroom.

Ginny looked back at the sink and stared at the serpentine faucets. _Please open_, she said.

She felt McGonagall shudder and looked up to see the transfiguration professor shudder. "An unpleasant sound," the older woman apologized.

Even so, it was enough. The entrance slid open. _Stairs_, Ginny hissed again.

They heard more grinding as stone steps appeared. With Dumbledore in the lead, they descended into the chamber. McGonagall looked faint when she saw the basilisk skin. When they arrived at the chamber and found the mostly dissected and harvested body of the beast itself, she looked positively ill. "Harry fought that?" she gasped. McGonagall never joined Dumbledore or Snape while they were cleaning and harvesting the basilisk parts.

"Fawkes helped," Ginny said. She closed her eyes and a little louder, called out: "Harry, please. You're hurting me. Can we just go lay down?"

They heard a sniff and turned to the side. Harry emerged from an alcove and looked positively gaunt. "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he walked toward them. "I didn't want to hurt you. I just wanted to get away and think."

"I know," Ginny said. She left the two older professors and hugged the trembling boy. It was cold in the chamber.

At first he stiffened, but the sheer warmth flowing through the touch was too much and he hugged her back. He sobbed once in her shoulder, and she could feel his rage and terror and that new, nagging feeling they shared in their bond since the end of the previous year, when she made him promise his virginity to her.

She let go, though it hurt to do so, and instead took his hand. "Will you come back with me and lay down for a few hours? I'm so tired."

He nodded mutely and let her lead him toward the doors. Harry stopped though and looked at Dumbledore. "I'm scared," he said. It was something he would never have admitted, not in a million years, if Ginny had not come into his life. "I don't think I can do this tournament. I need help."

Dumbledore looked down at the boy with an odd expression. "This is the first time you have ever asked for my help, Harry."

"I was taught to never ask for help."

"With a belt," Ginny said, snarling despite herself.

Dumbledore placed an old hand on Harry's shoulder. "I will help you, Harry. Ask, and you will receive. But for now, I think Miss Weasley has the right of it. You both need to kip back to your room for a quick nap."

Harry nodded, and then looked down at Ginny before they started for the exit.

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/\/\/\/\/\

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Half an hour later, Harry stripped down to his skivvies and Ginny stripped down to her panties. They locked the door, which McGonagall now permitted. As she started walking back to the bed, Ginny noticed Harry look at her with an odd gleam in his eye. She looked down at her breasts, larger now than last year but still smaller than Cho Chang's. She looked back up but Harry was staring resolutely at the floor.

_Sorry_, he whispered into her mind. It was followed with a surge of remorse.

Ginny padded the rest of the way across the floor until she stood before him. She could feel his breath caressing against her panties and the sensation gave her goose pimples. They had struggled with this all summer, this feeling between them. Neither understood it, but it was getting more and more difficult to resist.

"Harry?"

He refused to look up.

_Harry, please look at me._

Finally he did. He kept his eyes purposefully out of focus until he was looking into her warm, chocolate eyes. "You're not an object," he declared tiredly.

"When you look at me, I don't feel like one," she said. Very slowly, she placed both her hands on either side of his head, and pulled it down until his cheek was resting on her bare chest. The contact did what it always did when they pressed their skin against the other. Warmth flooded through the two of them. Ginny's young body responded accordingly, and through the bond Ginny felt Harry responding as well.

He started to say something, but paused as the motion of his lips brushed against her left breast.

Ginny trembled from the contact. It was like a tickle, only a thousand times more powerful. She moved subtly, and slowly brushed one nipple across those soft lips. Harry could no more help himself than she could, and his lips latched on.

Her knees gave out as heat flushed through her and she fell on him. "Merlin," she whispered. "Harry, how are we going to get through the next few years like this?"

He was shivering too, and in the process of falling on him she knew he was as hard as a rock. "I don't know," he shuddered. "But we need to try and get to sleep."

She nodded, knowing he was right. It was morning, but both were exhausted. Still shivering from the contact, she climbed over him and pressed herself against his bare back. He pushed back and moved to maximize the amount of skin they shared.

She wrapped her arms around his chest and held on tight as the wonderful, blessed warmth surrounded them. Almost immediately, they fell into the nightmares that haunted them all night. They saw flashes of green light and maniacal laughter.

Eventually, though, the terror and screams went away, and they settled into a hazy dream. Everything looked huge and far away. But right in front of them a young couple sat on a thick carpet. They saw a handsome man with black hair and a roguish smile, and a stunning woman with deep red hair and brilliant green eyes.

The man sat stark naked, while the woman straddled him. She too was naked, and was leaning back as he suckled her chest. She stopped abruptly, though and looked right at the dreamers. "James, Harry is awake! We need to go to our room."

"He's seven months old," came the muffled reply as James continued to bury his face. "Let him watch. That way he'll always know, deep down, how much we love each other."

Lily Potter looked down at her husband. "You're just a closet exhibitionist."

"No," he said as he flipped her over until he had pinned her against the floor, "I am a man completely enraptured with the most beautiful woman to ever live."

The dreamers watched as Lily spread and lifted her legs to admit her husband into her body. They watched as the couple loved each other with growing passion, moaning in pleasure. Strange heat welled up within the dreamers just as both Lily and James flushed a deep red and climaxed together.

A huge, exquisite wave of heat that bordered on pain surged through the dreamers, a beautiful, indescribable urgency that exploded between them, leaving them…wet, and a little sticky.

Ginny's eyes popped open. Behind her, she heard a gasp and then a dizzying wave of disgust and self hatred.

Ginny rolled out of the bed, realizing they had once again switched positions. She felt something wet against the back of her panties that quickly cooled in the November air. She saw Harry blushing down to his navel and saw that his shorts were wet.

"Harry, what happened?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know!" he growled. "We were dreaming, then it felt like I had to pee but I couldn't stop and then…this. I don't know! Please don't be mad, please!" His eyes were watering. Ginny knew that the bond was influencing his emotions—she never saw him cry her first year. But since then, he had been as much an emotional wreck as she had.

Ginny fought against the disgust and self-flagellation pouring out of him. "It's pretty gross," she said, fighting for calm. Part of her wanted to scream and demand to know what he was doing, but the other part knew what happened because she felt every second of it from him. He was already so scared and angry with himself from the tournament, Ginny did something remarkable for a daughter of Molly Weasley.

She asked herself what her father would do. The answer was to blunt the heated feelings pouring from the boy. "And here I was thinking my menses were the grossest thing ever."

"At least it's not blood!" Harry said quickly, for a moment distracted. To him menses _were_ the grosses thing ever.

Ginny came back and sat down on the edge of the bed. "It smells weird."

Harry sat up, still flushing, and looked down at his dirty shorts. "Are you… aren't you mad?"

"Disgusted, yes. But I had the dream too, Harry. Did your parents really do…that?"

"I don't remember," he said. He had a distant look in his eye. "When they did it in the dream, though, it didn't look dirty."

"Did you…were you doing that with me?"

"I don't think so. I mean, we still have our knickers on."

"Yeah." She stood. "This feels gross. I'm going to take a shower. You too. It's almost lunch time. We'll go eat when we're clean."

He stared at her, as if she had slapped him. "You're sure you're not mad?"

"I'm confused, Harry. But I…" She blushed and noticed her own body. "It…felt really good, didn't it?"

"Yeah," Harry breathed.

She turned before she said anything stupid and cleaned up. When she emerged, Harry took his turn, and together they went down to lunch.

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/\/\/\/\/\

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Arthur Weasley sighed as he finished the report. The muggle Doring girl was safely obliviated, and Jon Childers was facing Azkaban for what he did to the poor child. Knowing the man was going to a hellish prison did not make the horrors the muggle child suffered any better.

It was a bad day for the Weasley patriarch, made all the worse for the sheer amount of effort it took to get the DMLE to even prosecute the monster. Because his victim was a muggle, Scrimgeour was going to let it go, until Arthur went straight to Amelia.

It earned him Scrimgeour's enmity, which he could barely afford.

A knock alerted him to a visitor. He was surprised to see Sirius Black hovering about his door. "Arthur," the auror said. "Do you have a moment to talk about the kids?"

"Of course! Please, have a seat."

Sirius closed the door to Arthur's office and then added a DMLE-level warding charm before he sat. "Have you heard about the tournament?"

"How could I not? Ginny wrote the next evening. She, Harry and even Dumbledore are convinced it's a trap for Harry. Harry asked the headmaster for help, so at least he'll be getting extra training over the weekends until the first task."

"Yeah, he mentioned that in his letter. Did Ginny mention anything else?"

"Well, no. Not really."

Sirius removed Harry's impassioned, frantic letter. "He's fourteen now."

"Yes."

"He asked me if I knew of any charm or potion to, and I quote, 'Keep any icky things from happening at night between Ginny and me.' End quote."

Arthur sat up. "Icky? What exactly does 'icky' even mean?"

"I think he may have had a wet dream with Ginny," Sirius speculated. "And knowing Harry, he's probably mortified. Poor kid never had a dad growing up. He's never heard anything about the mechanics. Oh sure, I gave him a talk last year, but it was more along the lines of 'don't do it', than 'what to do if your body does it on its own.' You would have been proud of me—I told them not to do anything until sixteen regardless of the age of consent. Still, it was bound to happen."

"Yes, I remember," Arthur said. "Bill started wanking when he was eleven, poor boy."

Sirius snorted. "Eleven? Great Merlin's balls, I didn't even know what my pecker was when I was eleven."

"Bill was always quite advanced," Weasley said, not without a touch of pride. "We're an amorous bunch, we Weasleys. I've done my best not to make an issue of it, or to embarrass the boys. I told Charlie outright it was okay, but that he had to make sure to do it where no one could see. Especially not his Mum. Molly would never understand."

Sirius stood and paced the room. "Arthur, my dad was a right old bastard, and we were as pure as any Pureblood family could get. I was taught that wanking off was a crime against the family and that my magic would rebound and blind me. I know that's bullocks, but I just don't know what to tell the lad. That's why I came."

"You figured a man with six sons might have a suggestion or two?" Arthur couldn't help but grin at Sirius's predicament.

"Yeah. And the really terrible thing is that Ginny will hear every word we tell him. Can you imagine getting a man talk with your girlfriend there to listen along?"

"No, I can't imagine. But it's going to be a problem. She…" Arthur closed his eyes, and Sirius slowly sat down.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. I know I'm a prat about this. I love that kid. Both of them. I see the best of his parents in him, and I see the best of the Weasleys in Ginny, forcing Harry to be better. I'll do anything for them. I'm just afraid I'm going to bollix it up."

Arthur nodded. "And you would."

Sirius snorted, but didn't deny it.

Arthur looked up. "It's so hard, Sirius. Knowing that my little girl is sharing her body with someone. Perhaps not in a full wedded fashion, but nonetheless she is sharing her body with him. He is touching her."

"And she is touching back," Sirius said. "And yet, as hard as it is, they are two of the best kids I have ever known. I look back to our school days, and I can't think of anyone we went to school with who was as earnest or selfless as Harry is."

"Me neither. Unfortunately, I'm really afraid Ginny will take after her mother."

"What…oh, so those rumors were true?"

"We Weasleys are an amorous lot, and it turns out so are the Prewitts."

"Fourteen, huh? I've always wondered about the great Astronomy Tower adventure.'

"Wasn't an adventure, it was a bloody nightmare. McGonagall walked in on the middle of us, two fourth years. Molly was crying and I was a gibbering mess, and McGonagall looked as if she were going to hex the both of us. Molly's brothers both threatened to kill me."

"What did your dad say?"

Arthur grinned. "He patted me on the back and congratulated me for becoming a man. But that was a different generation. This is my daughter we're talking about."

"They're going to slip, eventually," Sirius said. "Before they went on their grand muggle adventure this summer, did you notice how they were having to hold hands more during the day?"

Arthur nodded. "Like touching at night wasn't quite enough any more. We had Poppy come out and examine them, but she wouldn't tell us anything."

"I wonder what will happen to that bond when they have sex?"

The question hung in the air for a long time, until Arthur spoke, voicing a private nightmare. "Sirius, what it the bond continues to constrict? They're so young, and yet the bond is already getting stronger. What if it gets so strong that no amount of touching holds back their pain? What if they end up on the long term ward at Saint Mungos like Frank and Alice, side by side in a coma from pain potion?"

It was a fear Arthur had never voiced before, to anyone. He did not dare mention his fears to Molly. She was upset about everything enough as it was. But who did the husband confess his fears to when he was so busy trying to reassure his wife?

"I don't know," Sirius admitted. "But in the meantime we're going to do everything we can to protect them. Did Albus or Amelia tell you what my assignment is?"

"No."

"I'm hunting horcruxes."

Arthur was not a fool, nor was he ignorant. His office was a part of the DMLE, and dealing with cursed objects used against Muggles taught him quite a bit. The word sank in slowly, and with comprehension came at first horror, then understanding. "So that's how…"

"That's what possessed Ginny her first year," Sirius said. "I interviewed an old potions professor last week. You remember Slughorn?"

"Yeah. Molly won some luck potion in a contest from him right before the Astronomy Tower fiasco."

"Didn't work, sounds like."

"Sure it did. Molly got me up there. It just wore off before we were finished."

Sirius snorted. "Well, Slughorn turned out to be a font of information. He was Riddle's potions professor, turns out. After talking to him, we know there are more. So far we found a second. And you'd never believe where. My brother had it in our house. Regulus stole one of the Dark Lord's horcruxes and hid it in Grimmauld place. I thought my brother was another bloody Death Eater, but the ruddy bastard turned out to be a hero. We destroyed it immediately. According to Slughorn's interview, there's a good chance there are more. I'm hunting them down, Arthur. For Harry and Ginny. I'm going to find them all and destroy them even if it kills me. That way if Voldemort ever does come back, we'll find the ruddy bastard and put him in the ground permanently."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because you're my godson's father in law. Because I'm in over my head trying to take care of and love a boy who doesn't know how to be loved. Because I like you? I don't know. But I would appreciate your help with Harry's problem."

"I'll talk to him this weekend," Arthur promised.

Sirius visible shrank in relief. "Thanks, Arthur. Say, you want to kip over to the pub after work before you head back?"

"You know, that's a good idea."

"In fact," Sirius said, "we can make it a double date. Rosie's meeting me. Why don't you have Molly join us?"

Arthur looked at the man who, just last summer, he viewed as a threat and a dangerous enemy. "That sounds lovely," he said with a genuine smile.

* * *

Thank you all for reading!


	24. An Explosive Experiment

**Author's Notes:** Responses to Chapter 23 reviews have been posted to my Harry Potter forum. I encourage you to take a look since there were several good points made. I wish to discuss one of these points now, as it will also serve as a warning.

Though I may not respond to every review, I read them all and value the points they make. I have noticed a divide between those who are not bothered by the increasing physicality of Harry and Ginny, and those who are. I respect the latter group's concerns because Harry and Ginny are far too young for their circumstances. That was one of the more tragic aspects of the story I wanted to write-how a bond of such intimacy can push kids into situations they're frankly not emotionally equipped to handle. However, I wish to give full warning that beginning with this chapter and moving forward, there will be sexual situations. In fact, because it will be their first, much of this chapter deals with it. I will never write above an R level, but nonetheless I am going to be describing two young children forced into adult situations and engaging in sexual activity. I also respect those of you who feel you cannot read further because of that fact, and it is for you that I wished to give this warning. I will also continue to give warnings, so those of you who wish to can simply skip those specific chapters.

Thank you for making this the single most reviewed story I've written. I truly do value your feedback and support.

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**Chapter Twenty-Four: An Explosive Experiment  
**

Arthur stepped out of the floor of the Three Broomsticks without missing a step and brushed the soot from his shoulders.

"Arthur! Fancy seeing you again so soon."

He looked up and smiled jovially at Rosemerta. "Good to see you again so soon as well. I had a lovely time last Wednesday."

"It was fun," Rosemerta said. "Enough to make this old lady feel a bit young again."

Arthur knew of course that Rosemerta had several years on him, Sirius and Molly. In fact, she was a good fifteen years older than any of them. And yet, Arthur also knew that Sirius did not care one whit.

"Well, whatever else may be the case, its good do see a bit of the old Sirius Black again. The only time I've seen him happy like that is around Harry, and around you."

He had a pleasure of seeing _the_ Madame Rosemerta, the crush of Hogwarts school boys for the past thirty years, blush furiously. "Oh you, shush. He'll get over it soon enough. In the meantime, what does it hurt to have some fun?"

"Oh course," Arthur said. "Well, I'm off to Hogwarts. I don't suppose you'd let me borrow one of the inn broomsticks to save time, would you?"

"Not at all, you go right ahead."

With the borrowed broom, Arthur was able to make good time flying to the castle. He supposed he could have taken the floo, but that really was for emergencies and this wasn't one.

Arthur was glad he did, though, because as he flew toward the castle, he came across a remarkable sight. In a patch of ground mostly hidden from the castle, he spotted Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and his daughter practicing spells in the snow.

He swooped in low and dismounted a safe distance and walked through the light dusting of early snow the castle had received. The day was cold without being bitterly so, and the sky overhead was a bright, crisp blue without a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful Scottish day.

"Very good, Harry!" he heard Dumbledore said. "Now you, Ginevra."

Arthur smiled—few people got away with calling her that.

He approached their secluded spot and felt his eyes widen when he saw what the two were practicing with. Before the three stood a horrendous monstrosity with the body of a giant chicken, but with a thick crocodilian tail. The beast was easily seven meters long and three high. It was charging the three, and as he watched, Ginny shouted out, "_Ulciscor_!"

The air before the cockatrice shimmered. Arthur only knew the charm because of Charlie's work on the dragon reservation. His daughter and Harry were practicing a dangerous creature warding charm. It was well beyond NEWT level not just because of the complexity of the magic, but because of the sheer amount of magical power required to cast it.

Arthur doubted even he could produce the charm, since Charlie admitted it taxed him to exhaustion and Arthur's two oldest sons were both much more powerful than he was.

But to his astonishment, Ginny produced the ward successfully. The transfigured cockatrice clucked its disapproval but still backed away. Since it was merely transfigured, the petrifying effect of its basilisk-like eyes was lost.

"Amazing," Albus said. "Harry, your turn again"

Ginny dropped her wand and the shimmer in the air faded. With a strange clucking roar, the cockatrice rushed forward on its large chicken legs. Harry flicked and then jabbed his wand and shouted, "_Ulciscor_!"

Arthur noticed the tension in Harry's shoulders and the sweat on his brow, but nonetheless the air shimmered and the cockatrice stopped its advance and even stumbled backward as the ward pushed against it.

With proof that the two could perform the charm, Dumbledore reversed his transfiguration and the cockatrice returned to its original form of a fallen tree trunk.

"I am truly amazed," Dumbledore said, praising the two. "That is a spell even professional dragon keepers have trouble learning. And it only took you a week to learn it. Excellent. In fact, I believe such success is worth twenty-five points apiece to Gryffindor."

The kids smiled before the praise. "So," Harry asked, "you think the first task will be a cockatrice?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Dumbledore said. "Traditionally the first task has involved a dangerous magical creature; that much is public record. I wish I could tell you outright, but I will not betray my oath. Nonetheless, this charm is an effective method of dealing with any large creature you may encounter. And now that we are done, Arthur, you wanted to speak to Harry or Ginevra, I assume?"

The kids turned, surprised. Arthur smiled and stepped out from the trees. "Well, I was going to announce myself sooner until I saw some amazing spell work. Ginny, would you believe it took your brother Charlie four months to master that charm? In all my years I have never seen such an incredible display of magic from one so young."

"Wow," Ginny said, eyes-wide. "Well, I am smarter than Charlie."

Harry snorted. "Modest, too."

Without breaking her smile, Ginny fluidly reached over and punched Harry's arm. Then she hugged her father. "Great to see you! Is Mum here too?"

"No, she's taking tea with August Longbottom. I'm here because I was hoping for a chance to speak to you and Harry."

"A conversation which certainly doesn't involve me," Dumbledore said. "Arthur, as always it is a pleasure to see you again. If you'll excuse me?"

With that, the headmaster turned and left. Arthur motioned for the two kids and they sat on the log, while Arthur paced along the edge of the lake. It bothered him how tired the two looked. Not tired from strain or from the magic they were learning, but from lack of good sleep. From their faces he guessed their problems over the summer had not let up.

"Sirius talked to you, didn't he?" Harry said with a flaming red face.

"I have seven sons, Harry. He needed help. And frankly I'm glad he did." Arthur looked at the two furiously blushing teens.

"You had what is commonly known as a wet dream, Harry. And it is perfectly normal for a boy your age. If I had thought about it, I suppose I should have expected it. Especially given the fact that you must sleep with, if I may be biased, a very becoming young witch."

Ginny blushed even redder.

"Is there a potion for it?"

Arthur chuckled. "No, lad. And chances are it's going to happen again.'

Harry's shoulders slumped. "It was gross."

"Felt good, though," Ginny murmured.

Arthur blinked. "You…you felt it?"

"We were dreaming about something we remembered seeing when Harry was a baby," Ginny said. As always, her casual use of 'we' when discussing Harry's earliest memories was disconcerting, even after a fully year and a half. "We saw Mr. and Mrs. Potter…er, doing things."

"Ahh, yes." Arthur conjured a wooden chair and sat. "They did have a hard time keeping their hands off each other. They loved each other so much that sometimes they seemed to be in their own little world. As much as I love Molly, sometimes I envied them."

"Saw a bit more than that," Harry muttered.

"Harry, your aunt and uncle never talked to you about sex, did they?"

"I don't think they ever had sex," Harry said. "Not after Dudley, anyway. It'd probably kill Aunt Petunia."

Ginny snorted and then laughed aloud. "Oh, what a sight. Be like a walrus trying to rut with a ruler."

Harry laughed too. Arthur tried to look indignant at his daughter's language, but he gave up and chuckled as well. "Look, Harry, what we talk about here is between the three of us, okay?"

"Uh, yes sir."

"Have you ever heard of masturbation?"

Harry actually looked a little sick. "Um, well, maybe. I heard a couple of my dorm mates talk about something second year, but I tried not to listen."

Arthur was about to explain when he saw Ginny's cheeks turned bright red. A moment later, Harry's turned bright red as well. "Really?" he asked aloud to her.

Ginny nodded.

"Ginny?"

"Ron isn't quite as sneaky as he'd like to think he was," she said with a disgusted expression.

"That really….." Harry began.

She looked back to Harry and nodded. The two lost themselves in silent communication for the longest time.

Arthur looked away, feeling as if he were somehow intruding in something intensely private. Still, he needed to speak his mind before he changed it. And he would the moment he saw Molly. "There's something else I'd like to say. And this is…very hard for me."

"Dad?" Ginny asked, worried.

Arthur looked up, and both she and Harry stiffened when they saw the older man's eyes watering. "Ginny, you can…I give you…help him. I mean…just don't break your promise. But you can…help him, if you need to. And he can…." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "My little girl," he whispered.

Ginny stood and had him wrapped in a hug before he could blink. It took a moment before he realized she was crying. Not just crying, but sobbing. He sat her on his lap and looked over his shoulder at Harry, who was teary eyed too.

"The bond's become a lot harder," Harry tried to explain for the both of them. "Even when we hug each other all night, it's getting hard to get through the days. Last Saturday…well, it was really gross, but it was like last year again. We felt great the rest of the day. And the day after that, too. Lasted all the way through Tuesday."

Arthur turned a confused look to Ginny. "Honey?"

"It's like the ruddy bond wants us to have…to make…you know. To do _it_. It's so hard, Daddy. To keep the promise. It's so hard."

"Do you think what we discussed today will help?"

She kissed his cheek and nodded. "I do. It's gross, but I think it'll help. You won't be mad at us?"

Arthur shook his head, amazed. "Oh Merlin, Ginny, how could I ever by mad at you? What you have been through, both of you, and to still be such incredible kids? I'm not mad at you. I'm in awe of you. I'm proud of you, and I love you both."

Harry looked away, though Arthur could see his cheeks were moist. Ginny just hugged him close. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Just, please, don't let your mom known. She'd kill me. And do like I told your older brothers. Make sure you are alone."

"Professor McGonagall lets us lock the door now, so only she or a professor can come in."

"Good."

Arthur stood, and wordlessly stepped across the snow-covered beach until he stood next to Harry, who stood in turn. Very slowly, the Weasley patriarch pulled a stiff and somehow confused Harry into a long hug.

"This isn't just from me, Harry. This is for Sirius too. We both think very highly of you, and love you like you were are own. I trust you with my daughter, and you can find no greater praise from a father."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said in a thick voice.

"Now, it's getting cold. Why don't the two of you head back in? And look for us on the 24th. We'll be there, the whole lot of us, cheering for you."

"Thank you, sir."

sp

/\/\/\/\/\

sp

That night, Harry emerged from the bath after brushing his teeth. Ginny was standing near the bed, hugging her arms across her bare chest. She was blushing so brightly it made her freckles stand out.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to," Harry said quickly. "I mean, it's been a long day and I am bushed."

"That warding charm was hard, wasn't it?" Ginny said. "I don't think I've ever done a charm so hard before. But you know…" She blushed again and then giggled. "That's the problem, Harry. I want to. I want to…see you, I guess."

Harry blinked. "Really?"

"I've seen one before, you know. The twins pranked Bill once after a shower—he ran naked through the house until he caught them and hexed all their hair off for a week. He was in sixth year." Harry was struck by an image of a very fit, young Bill Weasley running in all his manly glory through the house.

"I…." Harry shrugged. "I'm not that handsome."

"Don't compare yourself to Bill. You'll have inadequacy issues your whole life. He's Bill Weasley."

"Yeah."

Bill was cool. Even naked, the eldest Weasley was simply cool. He could pull off nudity like a Greek god.

Harry felt more like a cupid in a diaper.

The image made Ginny snicker. She then dropped her arms to expose herself and stepped directly in front of him. She was still half a head shorter than he was, and he was not tall at all. "Dad said anything short of breaking our promise," she whispered as she leaned up and kissed him. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Harry felt a strange tug and both looked down to see Little Harry had come wide awake at the thought. Ginny snickered again. She led him to the bed and made him sit down, and then sat down beside him.

"I don't know what to do," he confessed nervously.

"Me neither." She reached down and gently placed her hand on the bulge of his boxers.

Harry twitched, from head to toe. His reaction made Ginny laugh. "Share with me, Harry," she said. "I want to feel it too."

"It's embarrassing."

"Not if I feel it too. Share."

Harry opened the bond, and Ginny felt her own hand on his sex. The pressure was alluring, and she could feel that he wanted something more, he just didn't know what. She ran her fingers down the bulge, and twitched herself at the sensation. "It feels so…so…how do you even get through the day like this? I know you walk around with a little woodie half the time."

"It's pretty embarrassing sometimes," Harry admitted. "That's why I switched to boxers."

Ginny laughed even as she caressed him further. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me." _On my breast._

He leaned his head down and gently kissed her. She opened her own side of the bond and saw the light hair on his arms stand on end as the sensation rippled through his body. "Merlin," he whispered.

"Can I…." _look?_

_Yeah._

He lifted his hips as Ginny carefully pulled his boxes down to free him. He had a small tuft of short black hair at the base of a very erect member. She stared at it in fascination.

"Why is it shaped different than Bill's?"

"My aunt and uncle had my circumcised," Harry said. "A lot of muggles do that."

"Did it hurt?"

"I can't remember. I was really young."

"Do you want me to show you what I caught Ron doing?"

"Uh huh," Harry said dumbly.

"Lay back on the bed."

He obeyed without question, and she sat next to him and showed him what she saw when she caught Ron. She felt sensations she had never imagined surging through her mind from her connection with him. He held his head back, eyes closed and with a furious flush running down his chest.

She knew he liked it, and she liked it just as much. She moved faster, and both of them moaned at the shared feeling pouring between the two of them. She did not know if it was his silent urging or her own, but she moved her hand faster and faster until they felt a build up incredible tension, followed by an explosion of sensation even more powerful and acute than what happened during their dream.

So lost were the two in the moment that neither noticed the air shimmering around them, as if the molecules were absorbing an incredible charge of energy.

She stared at the resulting mess. "That is so gross," she muttered. Even so, she could not deny the sheer _pleasure_ they both felt from it. She turned and Harry was staring at her, his lips parted and his eyes dilated.

He didn't speak. But he still communicated to her, sharing an almost painful adoration and love with her; a need for her that even he didn't realize he had. And he shared with her his shock and disbelief that that anyone would do something like that for him, especially someone so beautiful.

The feelings were so strong Ginny lost all thought of the mess covering the two of them and leaned down until their lips were locked on each other. She shuddered as he pulled her on top of him. She felt the hot moisture against her legs but did not care as they continued to kiss. He sat up and his lips were on her chest, nuzzling her. She was hot, and she could feel that heat in Harry as well. It was a glorious burning as he felt the effect his own lips were having on her. The air itself seemed to be burning.

"Please" she managed to whisper.

And they remembered the dream; the memory. Harry rolled her back onto the bed, kissing her with amateurish but passionate kisses that sent thrills up and down her body as he suddenly took the position atop her. She felt him pressing against her. _I won't break the promise_, he said into her mind even as he kissed her.

And so she sent him a memory of her own, of one of the many, many times she and her brothers caught their parents when they thought all the kids were asleep—of Molly moaning in passion. Harry was so caught up in the heat he did not even think about the fact that he was seeing Ginny's parents pleasuring each other. Instead, he kissed lower and lower, until he found himself staring at her knickers.

"Yes," Ginny said.

He leaned down, confused and excited, and placed his lips against a slight button-shape in the fabric.

The experience of Harry's orgasm had already brought Ginny to an abyss she did not even know existed. The moment he touched his lips to her, power surged through her body.

Ginny, thirteen years old, had an orgasm. The shocking power of it washed through them both so strongly Harry fell off the bed completely and Ginny screamed. But the power didn't stop there. A wash of magical energy catalyzed the power already in the shimmering air, exploding like a flash fire of magic through the room, making their lamps flare and the fireplace nearly explode. Mirrors shattered and the walls themselves seemed to shake.

A moment later, Ginny and Harry picked themselves up, wide-eyed. "You're glowing," Harry whispered.

"So are you," Ginny whispered back.

Just then, there was a very loud knock at the door. "Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, are you all right? I'm coming in."

Their looks of wonder turned to horror. "Oh no!" they said in unison.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	25. Glow In The Dark

Chapter Twenty-Four review responses are available on my forums.

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**Chapter Twenty-Five: Glow In The Dark**

**Author's Notes: McGonagall's personal history, including her DOB, is AU for the purpose of the story because I liked this character portrait so much I didn't want to change it to canon. **

Minerva McGonagall considered herself a warrior of order.

Minerva despised chaos. She despised things that broke her out of the routine she had maintained for the past near fifty years. There were many reasons for this need for the routine, none of which she wished to remember. Contrary to common perception, being a Hogwarts professor was never her chosen profession.

McGonagall was born to a pureblood family in 1922. Her father, Ervinus Stubble, was a popular broom craftsman in the years before the Nimbus company took over the market, while her mother Demeter Stubble maintained the Stubble household, like most women born into the previous century.

Although magic was a great equalizer among the genders in the magical world, most witches chose to dedicate themselves to rearing families. Those that did enter into the broader world of commerce or politics faced few barriers so long as they had the magical strength to back up their will. In this regard, the magical world was rather advanced compared to the muggle world.

Minerva, though, had no desire to work. She was raised to be a wife and mother. She went to Hogwarts not so much for her education, but to find a husband. And in her sixth year, she found him.

Archibald Ivorson McGonagall was a seventh year and head boy. He was among the tallest students in the school, with black hair and the bluest eyes she ever did see. She had noticed him throughout her first six years, but in her sixth year he noticed her as well. More than noticed—he asked her to the Yule Ball.

They danced the night away, and he continued to call on her each Hogsmead weekend thereafter. On May 31st of that year, during their last night at Hogwarts, Archie led her to the astronomy tower, knelt down on a beautiful spring evening, and asked for her hand in marriage. When she averred to her father's wishes as tradition required, Archie grinned up at her from his kneeling position and removed a letter from his pocket. It was a beautifully written missive begging her father for her hand in marriage, with a vow to spend the rest of his life making her happy.

Her father's blessing and consent were written across the bottom of the second page.

She never returned for her seventh year. She and Archie were married that summer and made their home in London, and just a month before her eighteenth birthday the year after she would have completed Hogwarts, she delivered a son, named Archibald Ivorson McGonagall the Second. He was a beautiful babe with a thick head of dark hair just like his pa.

Junior was born September 3, 1940.

Four days later, Junior died.

Minerva remembered waking in the middle of the night to a caterwauling muggle siren. Archie jumped out of his bed, since like many couples of the era they slept in separate beds, and ran to check on the baby. Minerva checked the household wards, which consisted of muggle repelling charms and Do-No-Harm lines.

Unfortunately, the wards proved to be completely ineffective against muggle weapons of mass warfare.

She heard a brief whistle grow terribly loud, and then she saw a wall of fire and concussive force rip her home in half as if the wards were not even there. Though she left school early, she was one of the brightest and most powerful witches of her generation. She raised her most powerful shield and stopped the concussion from the German bomb from obliterating her, but even with magic the basic laws of physics existed. The concussion struck her shield and blew her through the back wall of their home.

She landed in the middle of the alley and looked up just in time to see the house crumble in on itself, completely obliterated. Her Archie and her Junior were both gone.

Two weeks later she joined the Order of the Phoenix, a purely volunteer group of witches and wizards sanctioned by both the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister, and joined the war effort against Grindelwald.

It was during the next three years that she truly got to know her former Transfiguration Professor. Albus Dumbledore was the single most powerful wizard she had ever seen, and his determination to defend England against both Grindelwald and the German aggression gave her a purpose in her otherwise purposeless life.

In a very real sense, Dumbledore saved not just her life, but her soul.

Little surprise then that when the war was over and Dumbledore was hailed as the defeater of Grindelwald, he gave loud and public credit to Minerva McGonagall and those other Order members who fought with him.

He returned to Hogwarts and convinced her to take her NEWTs. She did so without the need for a seventh year of schooling and passed with full marks. At Albus's further prodding, she apprenticed herself to a transfiguration master until she gained her own mastery in Transfiguration. In 1956, she began teaching at Hogwarts and remained since then.

Like all British, both muggle and magical, she prayed for an end to war. She found refuge from the turmoil rocking both the muggle and magical world in the years following the war in Hogwarts. It became a small pocket of order in an otherwise chaotic world.

Even pranksters had their place—such as Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew. Her four most adventuresome students challenged her two decades of teaching experience. Yet she also knew that even within an ordered system, limited chaos had to be allowed for the health of the system as a whole. And so she watched the four students, monitoring their immaturity and admiring their manic genius.

That tolerance almost ended when James Potter turned his attention to Lily Evans.

Lily was Minerva's pet. It was one of the few things that she and old Horace Slughorn agreed upon—Lily Evans was the brightest and most powerful witch of her generation. Her perfect marks were not borne solely of hard work, but also a breathless natural talent that left most of her peers gasping in awe.

Minerva feared that Potter would spoil that; that he would ruin Lily and make her yet another of the many strumpets he had gone through. However, her faith was restored when, instead of becoming a wanton woman, Lily made James into a proper gentlemen. Before her eyes, James Potter grew into the man he should have been. Sirius, Peter and Remus could only watch dumbfounded as James Potter realized that this incredible witch was worth leaving Neverland and growing up for.

Minerva cried at their wedding, not least because Lily asked her to stand in for her mother during the magical ceremony. They had two separate ceremonies, which was not unusual for muggle-born witches and wizards.

When Harry was born, Minerva was the first woman besides Lily and the midwife to hold the lad. She saw his rich black hair and brilliant baby-blue eyes and for a moment, she could have been holding her own baby son. That moment cemented the young Potter family in her heart forever.

When they died a year and a half later, Minerva cried for four straight hours. She was on the verge of taking the lad herself, and wanted very much to do just that. But Albus assured her the blood wards around the Potter home would keep young Harry safer than anything else. Because of her respect for the man who defeated Grindelwald, she obeyed despite knowing what type of people the Durlseys wee.

When she saw Harry Potter for the first time at his sorting, she knew it had been a mistake.

The son of James and Lily Potter should not have been a small, underfed, timid child staring around him in confusion and awe. He should have been proud and knowledgeable. The son of Lily and James Potter should not have been an indifferent student. Even at his worst James still performed better than most of his peers.

Harry would not have passed anything if not for Hermione Granger.

Her respect for Dumbledore took a hit that day. That respect continued to crumble as the year progressed and the events around the Philosopher's Stone unfolded. Then came second year.

Just thinking about that horrid basilisk was enough to make her shiver. But then for Harry to sacrifice a part of his soul to save another—that was the spirit of James and Lily shining out from those brilliant green eyes. Even so, the price was terrible.

So it was that Minerva kept a very close watch on Harry and Ginny. While she liked the Weasleys well enough, she remembered quite well finding Arthur and Molly together during their fourth year. For children so young, both from pureblood families, to engage in such behavior was scandalous. The fact that Molly was completely unrepentant and was soon doing it again months later made Minerva question Prewitt morality, even if her brothers were some of the best magical duelists to ever live.

That experience colored her perception of Prewitt women. And despite the name, Ginny Weasley was most definitely a Prewitt.

She could see it at the beginning of first year, the way Ginny stared at Harry whenever he wasn't looking. For an eleven-year-old child to obviously hold such desire was disturbing. However, there could be no question that she suffered that year, and so Minerva withheld judgment.

The following year, when she walked in on the two and found them shirtless with Ginny straddling Harry, she instantly flashed back to Ginny's parents and just _knew_ she had caught them doing something no children that age should be doing.

Her relief when she found them innocent was palpable, but still the suspicion lingered.

She watched them closely as their fourth year started. Though Ginny advanced a year, she was still only thirteen years old. But she was developing very quickly, as witches her age often did. The professor knew that she had begun her menses the previous year, and already her figure was becoming noticeably feminine.

But she noticed that Harry was changing as well. He underwent a growth spurt and was obviously hitting puberty, as witnessed by his warbling voice. But during the welcoming feast, she noticed that Harry watched Ginny.

It was a look she remembered seeing on his father's face looking at Lily Evans.

It was a look she remembered seeing on her Archie's face when he looked at her.

Harry _desired_ Ginny. Not as a child, but as a young man becoming aware of his body for the first time. Moreover, she could see from the way Ginny watched him that she desired him just as much. The fact that they were forced by circumstances beyond anyone's control to sleep together added a temptation Minerva doubted they could resist.

All this was on her mind when she heard a muffled girl's scream from below her, on the heels of a burst of magical energy that made her hair stand on end and her walls shimmer. She jumped to her feet and ran down the stairs, thankful all the other students were at lunch.

She knocked on the locked door. "Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, are you all right? I'm coming in."

She heard movement but no answer. Fearing they were hurt, she unlocked the door with her wand and charged in.

Then she stopped, blinking, and tried her best to understand what she was seeing.

Ginny Weasley was clutching a sheet from their bed to her chest. The sheet was still attached to the bed, giving the whole tableau the feeling of a leashed animal. Next to her Harry Potter stood in a pair of stained boxers, flushing from the line of his dark hair to his navel.

The air smelled heavily of sex, and oddly enough, ozone. In total it smelled as if a young couple had just coupled during a lightening storm.

For in this case, there was no mistaking what happened. From their expressions, and even more so from the cloying scent in the air, McGonagall knew that her young Gryffindor's had been engaging in sexual activity.

But what was most disconcerting, and what kept her from verbally flaying the two, was the fact that they were both very obviously glowing. Not figuratively, as one my describe an expectant mother, but with a golden illumination that clung to their skin like a faint lumos spell. She had never, in all her years, seen or even heard of anything like it.

She forced her eyes away from the glowing couple and observed the chaos of the room, from the displaced books and personal effects, to the shattered lamps.

"Miss Weasley!" was all Minerva could think to say.

Ginny looked down, her cheeks flaring and her eyes growing moist. But Harry—Minerva in that instance saw something in the boy's face she had never seen before. The boy was virtually shaking with it, and to Minerva's amazement the very air around him shivered in sympathy from the magic pouring off him.

"We didn't break our promise!" he almost snarled. "We had permission! Mr. Weasley said we could!"

"Could do what, engage in sexual activity with this thirteen-year-old daughter?" McGonagall snapped.

The glow about his skin grew brighter. The feeling of magic in the air was more than just palpable, it took on a sinister quality to it; a feeling of danger. For the very first time in her life as a teacher, McGonagall felt that her life was actually in danger.

Until, that is, Ginny gently reached up and touched his shoulder. McGonagall had no idea what passed between then, but eventually the feeling of anger passed. Harry's shoulders slumped and he turned away from both women and stalked into their bathroom to clean himself up.

In the stunning silence that followed, Ginny walked to the bed and sat down. As she did so, the glow about her skin started to fade a little. Conscious of their partial states of dress, McGonagall stepped all the way into the room and closed the door. She walked across the debris strewn floor and knelt down before the child.

"Ginny, girl, you're too young for this," she said earnestly.

Ginny looked up at her, blinking her eyes back into focus. "I know," she said. "Harry and I are both too young for it." Ginny held up her hand, staring at it as if in wonder. "I'm green."

Minerva's thoughts stumbled over that. "What did you say?"

"I'm green. Can you see it on my hand? It's flickering around my fingers. It looks like Harry. His energy. It's on my fingers."

Minerva focused on the girl's hands and her eyes widened as she saw what almost had to be ejaculate on her fingers. "Ginevra Weasley," she whispered, profoundly disappointed.

"I thought it was gross at first," Ginny whispered, "but its green with life and growing things. It's glowing."

To the Transfiguration professor's shock, Ginny's eyes took on a luminescence as she stared at the hand. The glowing orbs turned to McGonagall and the girl giggled, as if suddenly drunk. "I can see your cat," she announced. The giggle suddenly turned into a sob. "And your…Oh Merlin, you lost them, didn't you? I can see it in your colors. The bomb. I'm…"

Minerva reared back, beyond speechless. She had seen the transcript of Peter Pettigrew's and Sirius Black's trial, where the assertion was made that Harry and Ginny were aura readers. But this—the reading of past events from a person's aura was a truly exceptional and rare gift.

Ginny was sobbing by now, staring down at her hand, which had already begun drying. A minute later, Harry walked out dressed in his muggle weekend clothes. He said nothing as he came and sat by his young bondmate.

"We…had an accident a few days ago," he confessed to his head of house. "I wrote to Sirius for help. Sirius went to Mr. Weasley, and he visited us today while we were training with Professor Dumbledore. He said as long as we didn't break our promise, we could…do things to try and keep accidents from happening again."

McGonagall knew of the promise. The age of consent for a witch was ridiculously young when compared to muggle law, but then again Minerva knew that in many ways witches matured faster than muggle girls. Still, she damned that Adrian Pucey for keeping the laws antiquated just to see he could take a fourteen year old bride.

The two did not glow any more; they sat side-by-side in absolute silence as if awaiting judgment. "I will discuss this with Professor Dumbledore," Minerva finally said. "I will not discuss it with anyone else, and neither will you. You will clean up your room and Miss Weasley, you will bathe, and tomorrow we will see about strengthening the wards on this room."

The two looked up, genuinely surprised by what they were hearing. "Thank you," Ginny whispered.

"Well, don't be too grateful. I warn you, if your story does not check out then there shall be hell to pay, mark my words. Permission or not, Miss Weasley, you are only thirteen years old."

The old witch pushed herself back to her feet. "Now, I heard a scream. Was anyone hurt?"

Ginny flushed bright red, more so even than before. "No," Harry said quickly.

"I see. Well, let's get to cleaning then. And when you are done, I think it would be wise for the two of you to visit Madam Pomfrey."

Knowing how lightly they were getting off, neither complained.

sp

~~HP~~

sp

Later that night, Minerva stepped into the conference room off the headmaster's office and smiled at Arthur and Molly Weasley. "Hello," she said.

The couple immediately stood to greet her. She noticed that Molly Weasley was as red as a stewed tomato, and poor Arthur was simply pale. Across from them Sirius Black stood as well. "So our kids had another adventure?"

"I dare say," Minerva said. "Is Poppy joining us?"

"She'll be here shortly," Dumbledore said.

Minerva took her seat beside the headmaster just as the mediwitch arrived, apologizing as she did so. As soon as they were all seated and the elves put out a late night tea service, they began.

"First off, for the record," Arthur began, "I did give Harry and Ginny permission to…"

"Wank off together," Sirius said.

Molly made a strange moaning sound and closed her eyes, visibly trembling. Rather than comfort her, Arthur actually leaned away from his wife, as if fearing a possible explosion.

If Sirius noticed, he pretended not to. "The boy's fourteen and had a whopping big wet dream a while back," he said with a shrug. "With Ginny right there. She shared the dream and felt everything he did. It scared him so bad he wrote asking for a potion to keep it from happening again."

"Of course, complicating matters is the fact that, as Sirius said, Ginny felt everything Harry did. They shared the dream together, from what he saw, to what he felt," Arthur said. "Since anything he does she will feel, I…I guess I did not see any point in trying to separate them. So I gave them permission to…to masturbate with each other, so long as there was no actual…intercourse."

The moan turned into a growl. Arthur paled and seemed on the verge of bolting from the table. With an apologetic look at those around the table, he added, "I may have…overstepped myself there."

Molly turned and glared with such open rage everyone could feel it. McGonagall then surprised herself by slapping the table. "Molly Prewitt!" she snapped.

Molly snapped around, in that moment forgetting her anger and flashing back many years to a dark night with a warm boyfriend in a tall tower.

The whole table was now looking at McGonagall. "Molly, it should not be a shock to anyone at this table that your daughter would be a sensuous and physical girl. My gods, child, have you completely forgotten your own years at this school? Rest assured I most certainly have not. At least Ginny had the courtesy of an excuse!"

The whole table had the honor of seeing Molly Weasley rendered speechless.

"Now," McGonagall said after having thoroughly regained control of the conversation, "Professor Dumbledore, if you would?"

"Yes? Oh, yes. The reason we asked you here is to discuss what Poppy discovered after her examination of the two following the events of earlier this evening," Dumbledore said. "Poppy?"

"Their magical cores doubled," Poppy said simply. "Again."

Minerva felt herself staring, and saw the others doing the same at this seemingly impossible news. Magical cores were supposed to stabilize at eleven, and had only incremental increases into adulthood. This was why magical potential could be measured at all.

"When did this happen?" Molly asked.

Poppy smiled the smile of a health care professional—that is to say, she appreciated causing discomfort with frank honesty. "Probably about the time they both experienced orgasm."

Even Arthur blanched. "They promised…."

"Miss Weasley's hymen is intact, there was no penetration nor any sign of an attempt at actual intercourse," Pomfrey said. "There is a little tearing, which is actually normal for a quidditch player. It appears that she assisted Mr. Potter in masturbating, and he then reciprocated with some very light oral stimulation. I don't believe Miss Weasley's knickers were even removed."

Molly had returned to the color of a hibiscus and looked on the very edge of literally, physically exploding. A glance from McGonagall, though, kept her silent.

"Keep in mind," Poppy continued, "that Miss Weasley experienced Mr. Potter's orgasm as if it were her own. I would dare say the girl was primed to go off. When she did, it was quite remarkable. They were, not to be crass, dripping magic when they came in."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked. He was red-faced himself, but not quite from embarrassment. Rather, he seemed to actually be enjoying Molly's anguish. Worse yet, Minerva suspected she knew what the man was thinking—James would have been very proud of his sexually active fourteen year old son.

Lily would have boxed both their ears.

"Their intimacy has caused their bond to increase in intensity," Pomfrey continued. "While I've never seen anything like this previously, I do have their records from all of last year to compare it to. When the bond first stabilized, it was an even mix of two souls intermingled. A part of Ginny's soul rested in Harry, and a part of his soul rested in her. Over the summer, Sirius and Arthur both reported that the two were having a harder time getting enough contact in. You'll remember I came to the Burrow in mid-July and performed a check. At that time what the test showed as a mixing of their soul energies. What had previously been a very clearly delineated line of energy was becoming diffused. I suspected the change was a result of the dementor attack they suffered at the end of last year. Since we had nothing else to go on, I chose not to act. In fact, I doubted then and still doubt today there is anything to act upon."

"And now?" Minerva asked. This was the first she'd heard about the bond changing.

"And now, using every diagnostic charm I can, I can find only one soul."

At the head of the table, Dumbledore nodded. "I took the liberty of performing some non-medical spells designed to detect soul energy, and must confirm this."

Molly's complexion went from the extremes of near violent flushing to a bone-white pale. "Oh Merlin, is her soul…."

"From everything I have seen and heard," Pomfrey said, "their physical need for intimacy was driven by a need to either restore the bonds to their previous status, or to provide the necessary energy to drive the bonds to a new state of equilibrium. And while modern light magic practitioners try their very best to avoid the subject, ritualistic sexual intercourse can be the most powerful magical charge in existence. There is a reason for the Dark Family's May Day orgies, and why those families tend to experience such successful crops."

With that aside complete, the mediwitch returned to her subject. "After what happened tonight, the latter appears to have occurred. Harry and Ginny Potter now share a single, new soul. It was not the soul either of them were born with. They have separate minds and personalities and always will, but the energy of their soul has been combined. Minerva, did either of them seem different when you walked in on them?"

"Yes, actually," Minerva said. She looked around the table, trying to decide how much to confess. "When I started to berate the two of them, Harry became very defensive. In fact…honestly, for a brief moment he scared me. I have not felt such dangerous magic since the war. Fortunately Miss Weasley was able to calm him. Afterward, she said her hand looked green." She chose not to mention what was on the hand at the time. "And then she proceeded to read my aura, accurately seeing things that happened to me sixty years ago."

The table was very quiet.

It was Dumbledore who spoke. "As Arthur can attest, earlier today both Harry and Ginny were able to perform a dragon warding spell that even most professional dragon handlers have difficulty with. In fact, of everyone at this table only myself, Minerva and Sirius have the magical capacity to perform that spell. Moreover, they learned a spell that has a six month course of study for professional dragon handlers in less than a week. There is no question that this bond has had a significant impact on both their magic and their intellect."

"And after tonight, that magic has doubled in capacity," Pomfrey said. "Albus, you should know that right now those two children have more magical capacity than anyone I have on record—including yourself."

"Indeed. Are they well now, Poppy?"

"I sent then back to their room and both are sleeping soundly."

"How is Harry's occlumency?" Sirius suddenly asked.

The headmaster looked over at Sirius with a scowl. "I've not had a chance to test it."

"Bet Snape has."

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes, he has. You gave him lessons, then?"

"Both of them, though it was hardly necessary. Something about the bond has given them a natural affinity for it. They were both immediately aware of my intrusions and learned in the course of a few weeks to block it out. And if anyone is interested, I've tested Arthur's shields as well."

"Well, all DMLE section heads must have an occlumency shield," Arthur said with a shrug. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Dumbledore wrapped his hand on the table. "Soon, Sirius," the headmaster promised. "But not right now, please." He took a deep breath. "I will ward their room further. The first task of the tournament is in one week. However, I have knowledge of the second task and am frankly worried. We may have to intercede on Harry's behalf. But, to the matter at hand, Poppy, in your professional opinion do you believe that the sexual activity Harry and Ginny have engaged in presents a moral, ethical or physical threat to the safety of either child?"

"In any other case, I would say yes," Pomfrey said. "Masturbation at this age is perfectly normal. Sharing masturbation with a partner of the opposite sex is not quite as normal. However, given the unique circumstances presented here and the needs these two share because of their bond, no, I believe the activities they have engaged in are, at least for them, natural and necessary. However, I also believe it advisable not to advertise this fact to the student body as a whole. Their circumstances are unique, and we don't want this situation setting a precedent among the student body."

Dumbledore nodded and turned to Molly and Arthur. "Molly, Arthur, do Ginny and Harry have your permission to engage in such activity as required by their bonds?"

Arthur looked long and hard at a red faced Molly before nodding. "Yes, they do. I'm not convinced they have any alternative."

Dumbledore smiled. "And I shall not even bother asking Sirius, since his answer is a foregone conclusion. Therefore we shall record this meeting and let the official records show that whereas Harry and Ginevra Potter neé Weasley are a couple married by magic and certified under the law by Arthur Weasley, the father of the bride, no disciplinary action will be, nor should be taken, regarding any activity observed by staff in the living space of the said couple. Minerva, as their head of house, do you agree to this?"

"Aye," Minerva said. "Let's just hope this doesn't get out."

"Indeed. I think the time has come to update the school register. Molly, Arthur, would you agree the time has come to formally list Ginevra as Mrs. Potter?"

Molly looked down at the table, almost in tears. Arthur did not look much better, but he nodded. "To protect them, if nothing else, I agree.'

"Very well. Thank you all for coming. Have a good night."

* * *

sp

Thank you for reading.


	26. Dark Auras

An Author's Note is at the end of this chapter. Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Yet.

Chapter 25 responses are on my forum.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Dark Auras **

Things were different.

Harry did not know how else to describe it. The food tasted better. The air outside smelled fresher and crisper. Colors seemed brighter and noise seemed louder. It felt as if he had been living the past year with a filter over his face, and suddenly that filter was gone.

Ginny felt the same thing as they woke up that Sunday morning holding each other tightly. They felt as energized and as happy as that first night they slept without their tops. Even more so. Harry felt Ginny stretch luxuriously next to him before she somehow turned around to face him, while his arm was still wrapped around her tummy.

They said nothing, verbally or mentally. Instead, he just _felt_ her, and she felt him. This bond they shared seemed stronger every day. Without even thinking about it, he leaned down until their lips met.

The magic around them flared again. Finally she broke off, flushed with dilated eyes. "Take me to the Yule Ball dad warned us about?"

_Who else would I take_?

"Tell me you love me," Ginny said again.

_I love you_.

_Aloud. I want to hear you say it._

"I love you, Ginevra Potter."

That had been the greatest revelation when Dumbledore came into their room an hour after they had gone back to bed to ward their walls. He apologized profusely for the interruption, but insisted it was necessary. Before he left, the old wizard said, "I spoke to Arthur and Molly. We've agreed to update the school register to show your name is Ginevra Potter. I understand you mentioned in the past that is how you wanted to be known this last year. Good night."

It was in a real sense the first real day of their marriage.

Still, their promise to Ginny's father hung over the air. They kissed and touched, but eventually decided to get ready for the day. As they stepped out of their room and started down the tower stairs, they immediately noticed how very bright the bluebell flame torches were that morning.

They reached the common room to find Ron and Hermione arguing quietly. Only their whispered words seemed very loud. They were fighting about Ron somehow believing Harry put his own name in the Goblet of Fire.

_He's not worth the effort today_, Ginny thought.

_Besides, Hermione's taking care of it_, Harry thought back.

The two looked at their friends, and saw the flicking lights that shone around them. It came as a shock to see identical shares of pink in both of them, and that the colors seemed to be reaching hesitantly for each other.

_They like each other? _Harry thought. _They never stop fighting._

Ginny too was surprised by what she saw—loneliness. When Hermione looked up and saw them staring, Ginny could also see something else. Not envy, but a wistful melancholy directed at Harry and Ginny.

_I never knew she felt that way about me_, Harry thought. Still, he smiled and stepped toward the two. Ginny followed without pause, moving as if it were her idea. The two sat on the couch facing their friends.

"I think you should know," Harry said.

"They've changed the register to show me as Ginevra Potter," Ginny finished.

Ron shrugged. Hermione, though, forced a smile. More than that, the two bondmates could see through her aura that she forced happiness for the couple as well. Hermione leaned over and hugged both. "Good," was all she said.

Sunday night Harry and Ginny again snuggled but did nothing else. They wanted to, but for some reason both felt hesitant when there was no need. Neither felt any hint of the pain that had plagued them through the summer, and so sank into a deep, restful sleep.

Monday brought Herbology in the morning, then Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy. The day went easily enough until the afternoon when they arrived at Arithmancy. The two of them found themselves starting at the arithmantical formula for the lumos charm on Professor Vector's blackboard.

There were only a dozen or so kids in the class from all four houses. Third year was the first year for electives, and Professor Vector openly said that was the year she washed out potentials who would not pursue the art of magical math. By fourth year, they were diagramming and studying spell mechanics, but with only a fraction of the students.

As the two stared at the board, the numbers just clicked. It was as if their combined mental processing power worked in complete tandem, and they understood for the first time everything the professor had taught them, and everything Professor Dumbledore showed them the previous year.

"Mr. Potter? Mrs. Potter? Is there something wrong?"

The question hung in the air for several seconds before either realized they were being addressed. When they broke their attention away from the board, they realized exactly how they were addressed and that everyone else in the class was whispering.

"I…no, sorry," Ginny answered quickly. "Just studying the formula."

"I see. Do you understand it, then?"

"We think so," Harry said.

"Let's find out." Vector wrote another formula on the board. In fact, it was the same exact formula, except instead of a three at the end of a long string of exponents she used a zero.

"That's the nox charm," Harry and Ginny said at the same time.

"And why do you say that?" Vector asked with one raised brow.

"The exponent at the end of the second chain," Harry said.

"That's the power multiplier," Ginny said.

"Even in magic, anything multiplied by nothing is nothing," Harry finished. "It's the same charm as the lumos but with its power negated."

Vector smiled. "Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor for both of you. I hope, class, you were taking notes."

By dinner that night, the whole school knew. Of course, the whole school already knew about the legality of it, but now it was official. Ginny was now officially a Potter.

When potions arrived the following Tuesday afternoon, Snape made a point of calling on Ginevra Potter at every opportunity. He purposely rolled the 'r' in her first name and growled the second just like their first class last year. More than that, the two felt his constant jabs into their minds, just like Sirius had taught them about.

The most disturbing thing about Snape, though, was what Harry sensed in the man's aura. Overwhelming guilt and self hatred. Rage at Harry's father; loss and guilt over his mother's death. Well deserved guilt.

The prophecy.

Harry actually dropped his vial at the end of class when he saw the full scope of the man's aura. It was like a muggle movie played out before his eyes in cinemascope and wide screen. Only it was a movie played out in color that somehow his brain or his magic understood.

He dropped his vial and stood frozen in place. Snape stared back with a hateful comment on his lip, but the comment died when he saw the look in Harry's eyes. The Gryffindor walked stiff-legged forward until he was staring at the potions professor with an expression of such profound rage the air itself shimmered.

"You betrayed her," the boy snarled.

The rest of the class sat mesmerized, until Ginny stood. She did not speak; she simply stood and stared at Harry's back.

Snape knew of their bond and their communication—Dumbledore had briefed all the staff. He witnessed it now as the two obviously spoke furiously with each other.

The shimmer in the air faded and Harry backed up a step. "Something in here is making me sick," Harry said, snarling with still very uncharacteristic rage. "I need to see Madame Pomfrey."

Without asking permission, Harry turned and left the room. Ginny followed, pausing only long enough to look back at Snape. The girl shook her head.

Snape felt his stomach drop as he felt judgment in those eyes. Somehow, Harry and Ginevra knew. They knew that James and Lily Potter died because he, Snape, told Voldemort about the prophecy.

"Finish your assignments," he barked at the class before he stalked out of the room to his office.

They thought the week could not get any worse after Potions.

They were wrong. Unimaginably wrong.

Thursday afternoon, the two joined their classmates in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Moody stomped in just moments after the last student settled, slammed the door, and made his way awkwardly toward the front of the room.

"All right you lot, now we're getting into the thick of it. We'll be working on shielding charms for the rest of the semester. Who knows the basic…."

Harry felt a mental nudge and followed the feeling until he too was staring at the DADA professor. In the desk beside him he could feel Ginny shrinking in on herself.

The professor's aura was painted blood red and oil-black. It screamed of horror and pain, but not as the recipient of agony. That Harry might have understood—Moody bore terrible scars of a hard life. What he sensed, though, was completely different. Through the swirling darkness of the man's aura, Harry and Ginny both could almost see a young couple screaming in terrible agony under a cruciatus curse. They saw a little baby crying nearby. They could hear a woman's voice urging him to curse the couple more. The face they saw in Mad-Eye Moody's aura was that of a much younger man, one draped in evil.

Then they saw in the professor Moody's own face, separate from the owner of the aura they were viewing. Moody looked startled and fell back while curses flew from his lips. They saw the other Moody without his false eye or leg, being tossed into a trunk, only he kept falling into darkness within the bottomless trunk.

Harry broke his stare. "Potter, wake up, lad!" this Moody who was not Moody shouted. "What's wrong with you?"

"Not feeling well," he said.

"So Professor Snape said. Whatever it is, go to Pomfrey and get it taken care of!"

Harry nodded and stood to leave. Ginny turned to leave as well. "Where are you going?" Moody snapped.

Ginny looked to Harry then the professor. "I'm going with my husband," she said.

The answer caught the non-Moody sufficiently off guard that he made no effort to stop them. The moment they were out of the classroom, they grabbed each other's hands and started walking toward the infirmary. Moody's magical eye could see through walls, after all.

When they were sufficiently far enough away, the two started running not toward the hospital wing, but toward the Headmaster's office. They did not stop running until they reached the protective gargoyle in front of the entrance.

"Please, we must speak to Professor Dumbledore!"

The stone creature seemed to consider them for a moment before it stepped aside. The two quickly ran up the spiral staircase until they emerged into the headmaster's office. "Professor!" Harry called urgently. "Professor Dumbledore!"

The headmaster emerged from a side room of his office looking at the pair over his half-moon glasses. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter, what can I do for you today?"

"Professor Moody isn't Professor Moody!" Harry said.

"He's someone else," Ginny added. "Someone evil."

The headmaster looked at the two of them carefully. "I've known Alastor Moody for many years. Are you sure about this?"

Harry and Ginny shared a look before they turned and stared long and hard at Dumbledore. The elderly professor felt a brief moment of trepidation when the young couple's eyes took on a luminescent quality which faded quickly. However, that trepidation returned when Ginny sobbed a little at whatever she saw.

Harry gritted his teeth. "I'm very sorry about your sister, sir."

It was almost like a blow to the stomach. Only a century of control kept the headmaster from bending over and gasping for air. "How…you saw this so clearly in my aura?"

The young couple nodded. "To see that clearly, we have to concentrate," Harry said.

"I wasn't trying to see Moody's aura that deep," Ginny said. "I was just drifting a little. But the surface was wrong. Like everything about him was a lie. So I stared harder and made Harry look too."

"He was torturing a young couple with the cruciatus," Harry said. "There was a baby nearby crying too, and a woman telling him to hurt them more. He's really sick, Professor."

"And we saw the real Moody falling into a trunk that seemed to go down forever."

As they spoke, Dumbledore paled further and further. Gradually, the professor made his way back to his desk. "That eye can see through walls. Though our wards disperse his sight beyond a wall or two, it would be very difficult to detain the man to find out the truth."

"Why can't we just go down there and get him now?" Harry demanded.

"Because as fast and powerful as I may be," Dumbledore said, "I doubt I would be able to stop him from harming at least one or two of your classmates before I took him into custody."

The answer made Harry stop and think for a moment.

"Then we trick him," Ginny said. "We tell him that we found something in the Chamber of Secrets that belonged to Voldemort and we need his help to destroy it."

The twinkling blue eyes lost focus as the headmaster started thinking. "Indeed, that might by enough to entice him down away from the other students. But there is a matter of timing to consider. The first task is this coming next Tuesday, Harry. You need to prepare."

"I'll be a lot more prepared knowing I don't have someone like that watching my back," Harry said fervently. "It was like looking at evil, Professor. I can't even stand the idea of going near him, and I won't let Ginny."

"Down boy," Ginny muttered. "Husband, not owner, remember?"

Harry grimaced. "Sorry. But you really want to go back to him?"

"Well, no, but that's not because you won't let me. It's because I don't want to be sick when I see him."

Dumbledore left the two to argue as he stepped to his fireplace and threw in some powder. "Director Bone's office."

Harry and Ginny both turned with interest, having met and liked the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In moments, her face emerged from the fire. "Professor Dumbledore, what can I do for you?"

"Amelia, I'm very sorry to bother you, but I have an issue of some urgency relating to the security of the tournament. I was wondering if you and two or so aurors would be willing to step through? If you have veritaserum, you should bring it as well."

"Can you tell me what this is about, Albus?"

"We have found an item in the Chamber of Secrets that may be of vital interest to Voldemort. Given recent history, I felt a ministry representative should be here."

"That's…unusually thoughtful of you, Albus. I'll be through in a few minutes."

"Thank you."

Dumbledore turned to the children. "Ginevra, please return to your common room. In fact, I recommend you go visit Miss Granger's room. Be in the girl's tower at the very least. Mr. Potter, you will be with me."

"Of course, sir."

"Why Harry?" Ginny demanded.

_Because we don't want everyone knowing you're a parselmouth too,_ Harry thought at her. _It's a secret that may end up saving us all one day._

"Oh," Ginny said aloud. "Well, okay. But you'd better make sure that bond is open so I can see what's going on."

"I will," Harry promised.

"Not to worry," Dumbledore said. "As soon as all doors are open, Mr. Potter will be heading back to your room as well. This is not something I will argue about."

Ten minutes later, after Ginny left, Amelia appeared with Shacklebolt and Sirius. Harry couldn't help the grin upon seeing his godfather.

Amelia too noticed Harry. "Hmm. Another issue involving Harry Potter. It must be Thursday."

Sirius grinned. "Any day is a good day for Harry adventures. So, pup, you found something new?"

"You bet," Harry said.

"Now then," Dumbledore said after welcoming his guests, "I would also like to have Alastor join us."

"He has sufficient experience," Bones agreed readily. He was her trainer when she first started; she held the man up as a personal idol.

The DADA class was just finishing when Dumbledore stepped in and motioned for Alastor. The imposter stepped calmly to Dumbledore's side. "Alastor, Mr. Potter was exploring the Chamber of Secrets last night and told me of something that may be of vital interest to Voldemort. I've summoned Amelia, Kingsley and Sirius, and was hoping you'd join us as well."

"Of course, Albus," the false Moody said with what may have been genuine earnestness. He stomped into the hall and saw Harry. "So, lad, is that what made you sick during class?"

Harry shrugged and found to keep his expression properly worried. "It just hit me as you started talking, sir. It felt like the diary that hurt Ginny second year. Only more so."

"Well, it's good you brought in help this time, lad," Moody said with approval.

They stalked through the crowded halls, ignoring the student whispers. At Dumbledore's urging the prefects and other professors shooed the students away as they reached the third floor girl's bathroom. Harry tried not to notice how Moody stiffened when he commanded the chamber to open.

Harry led them through the caverns until they reached the inner chamber. Harry once again hissed at the door to make it open and for the second time that year found himself facing the chamber of secrets.

He almost yelped when the false Moody put his hand firmly around Harry's neck. "All right, lad, show us where it is."

"Alastor, Mr. Potter needs to return to his dorm," Dumbledore said. "He has faced enough peril at this school. I shall not endanger him needlessly."

"Nonsense!" Moody declared. "The lad obviously comes down here on his own, else he wouldn't have found the ruddy thing. Now, show us, lad!"

Harry stumbled a little as Alastor shoved him forward. He started walking forward, trying desperately to think of what to do. He felt Ginny in his mind, as worried as him. However, Ginny was also a Weasley. And if there was anything that Fred and George proved, Weasleys were sneaky. She sent to him what he needed to do.

"There it is!" Harry screamed, pointing to a dark alcove and backing away as if in terror.

It had the desired effect of making Moody, Amelia, Sirius and Kingsley look in the direction he pointed. Dumbledore, expecting something like this, kept his eyes and wand firmly on Moody. The headmaster struck silently, using nothing more than a jab of his wand.

Moody's magical eye somehow saw the movement. Almost immediately the air shimmered into a wordless shield. The old man immediately lashed back at Dumbledore with a dark purple spell that forced the headmaster to transfigure the floor into a shield.

The three DMLE personnel stared in confusion as Moody turned his good eye toward Potter. "I knew it," he growled. He jabbed his wand viciously and shouted "_Avada_…."

Before he could finish the longer incantation, Harry screamed out the very first spell at the tip of his tongue. "_Ulciscor!"_

The spell designed to push back dragons and cockatrices had little difficulty with a one-legged man. The false Moody's one normal eye widened comically before the solid wall of force struck him head on. The old man somersaulted twice through the air.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Dumbledore shouted, putting extra emphasis on it. The spell hit a fraction of a second before the false Moody even hit the ground. The man's wand flew from his hand while his body tumbled further along the floor twenty feet away.

"Bind him!" Dumbledore said. "That is not Alastor!"

"_Incarcerous_!" Shacklebolt cried. In moments, Moody was bound in ropes.

When the man was secured, Amelia Bones turned not to Dumbledore, but to Harry Potter. "Did you just use a dragon wrangling charm?"

Harry blushed. "Er, yes, ma'am. Professor Dumbledore said that the first task usually involved a dangerous creature."

Sirius grinned. "Just like his mum, he is."

"Sirius," Bones said, "I knew Lily Potter, and I can promise she could not cast that charm at fourteen. She couldn't cast that spell at eighteen."

"Be that as it may," Dumbledore said, "I think the more important matter at hand is ascertaining who our friend is?"

* * *

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**Author's Note:**

I have made significant progress on the story, to the extent I can safely say it will be finished and should be in under 50 chapters. Because of this, I wanted to take a moment to give everyone fair warning: This is a dramatic story. It is not a feel-good fic; that was never the intent. While the first few years of the bond have been fairly sweet, there has always been an undertone of danger. When that danger emerges, there will be major character deaths and dramatic circumstances. I say that because I am afraid some of you may have been reading this as an innocent kid fic. It's not, we just haven't reached the bad parts yet. I'm not going to tell you what, only that bad things will happen. (Save rape. No place for that in this fic.)

Just be aware.


	27. Pushing Dragons

Author's Responses/Comments were posted in my Harry Potter forums. Please note these forums are here on , not my homepage.

Thanks.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Pushing Dragons**

Ginny was waiting for them when they emerged from the chamber. The moment she saw Harry she rushed into his arms and kissed him soundly on the lips.

Sirius chuckled. "Where's my kiss?" he said.

"Ewwwww," Ginny said with a wrinkled nose. "I'm not going to kiss an old man."

Shacklebolt snorted. "She has you there, old man."

"You're older than I am!"

"But I make it look good. You just look old."

Sirius sagged. Then he flicked his wand and continued to levitate the man up behind him. It no longer looked like Alastor Moody.

"He was under polyjuice," Harry explained to her. _Sirius said his real name was Barty Crouch Jr. He was supposed to be dead. He and Madame Bones are wondering now if Barty Crouch Sr. committed suicide, or if he was killed when his son escaped._

"Dumbledore," Amelia said, "you've done a great service for us." She turned to Harry. "And you as well, Mr. Potter. I'm going to be looking forward to your career, young man. When you finish school, keep the DMLE in mind. We could use a powerful wizard like you."

"Thank you, Madame Bones," Harry stammered.

Sirius just winked at them, and just like that they and the false Moody were gone.

Harry and Ginny read in the Daily Prophet the next day how the DMLE captured Barty Crouch Jr., a convicted Death Eater, impersonating a professor at Hogwarts. The news caused a sensation among the student body.

Fortunately the paper made no mention of Harry or Ginny's involvement in Crouch's capture. Unfortunately, Hermione Granger didn't believe it. When she settled down across from them for breakfast, she was positively glaring.

"You saw through his polyjuice during class yesterday, didn't you?" she said. She spoke quietly, but so intensely it came out almost as a hiss.

"The professor didn't want anyone to know," Ginny hissed right back.

"How, though?" Hermione said. "No one can see through polyjuice potion."

"We didn't see through it," Harry said. "We read his aura."

Beside him, Ginny shivered at the memory. "It was dark, Hermione. It was very dark."

Hermione made a point of looking down at the paper. "It says here he was convicted along with Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and brother in law for torturing the…Longbottoms to insanity. They're still in the long-term ward at St. Mungos."

All three of them looked around the table for Neville, but he wasn't there. Ron, who came dragging in a few moments after Hermione, sat and started piling eggs and bacon on his plate. "Anyone know what's wrong with Neville? He and Professor McGonagall left the castle."

_Well, that answers that_, Ginny thought sadly to Harry.

The weekend finally arrived and found Harry and Ginny flying their brooms together. It was actually the first time they had flown since before they went to Hermione's home during their holidays.

The two flew in leisurely tandem, and then would race at break-neck speeds around the lake. They laughed at each other's antics, but did not speak aloud the whole time. They were having so much fun they decided to skip lunch entirely to fly all around the grounds.

It was Harry with his seeker's eyes who caught sight of Victor Krum near the Durmstrang ship practicing. They also noticed a large grouping of Hogwarts girls nearby watching.

_He's not that handsome_, Harry said. _And what kind of git practices outside in late November without a shirt? In Scotland?_

Though it was an unusually sunny day for November, it was also very cold. Only some powerful warming charms kept Harry and Ginny comfortable on their brooms.

_He's either showing off,_ Ginny thought back, _or he's trying to toughen himself up. I've heard stories about Durmstrang. The castle has no heating at all._

Harry shivered despite the warming charms and continued their flying. They were scheduled Sunday to work with Professor Dumbledore for Harry's training. They rounded by the Beauxbatons carriage, which obviously had been expanded since the students stayed within it at night. They could not see any sign of Fleur Delacour, though.

They finally went in three hours before dinner to do their homework. It had been a week since their sexual experiment, and things were starting to slide back to the state before, when they were constantly tired. However, Harry and Ginny decided they would wait until the night before the tournament to do anything about it.

Sunday dawned overcast, rainy and cold. There would be no flying for the pair this time. They finished the last of their essays that morning at the table in the great room over breakfast, while Ron shoveled bacon and eggs into his mouth and Hermione read a history of the Triwizard tournament while sipping some hot tea.

They told her that they were working with Dumbledore, so the other girl did not bother them about the tasks as much she ordinarily would have. As she read, Ginny looked up in time to see Victor Krum walk by while heading toward the Slytherin table. The fact he went by the Gryffindor table to get there was unusual.

The posse of girls, mainly Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, followed at a respectful distance. However, the Bulgarian seeker was looking at only one girl.

Meanwhile, that one girl obliviously continued reading her history of the tournament and sipping her tea. Ginny couldn't help but smirk. Harry shrugged, and the two continued their essays.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Monday was a very long day for the two. Herbology went well enough, but arithmancy seemed to take forever. Neither had slept well the previous night despite sleeping tightly wrapped around each other.

They eventually got through their classes and went to dinner. That night, Neville joined them, looking somber. All of them decided not to treat him as if anything had happened, and he seemed to appreciate it. For Harry and Ginny, the two were exhausted not just from their lack of meaningful sleep, but also from the whirlwind training session the headmaster put them through the previous night.

They practiced the dark creature ward as well as different transfiguration and conjuring spells that could help distract a large creature.

By the end of it the two were exhausted and barely were able to crawl to dinner.

Their friends seemed to understand when the two retired early to their room.

Harry did not know whose idea it was, only that after he used the water closet and started stripping for an evening bath, the door opened and Ginny stepped in. There was no warning because not even Ginny knew she was going to do it at first.

She stood just inside the door, completely nude. She was watching him intently, and through the bond he could feel her fear and insecurity. But he did not understand why.

_I already knew you were beautiful_, he thought at her.

"I just…would you…" _bathe with me_?

Blushing furiously but smiling nonetheless, Harry let the rest of his clothes fall to the floor and held out a hand. She took it, giggling despite herself, and the two climbed into the large marble tub/shower combination that was a perk of the head boy's room they now shared.

With the benefits of magic, the water that came out was immediately warm. Harry sat down and Ginny sat in front of him. She leaned back against his bare chest as the water began to fill the tub. The buoyancy of it began to make them both feel lighter.

Harry's hands floated to either side until she took them and folded them over her stomach. Harry caught a flash of memory from her then, of her bathing with Ron and Luna as children. The Weasleys reused the bathwater for children, at least when they were younger.

"Luna?"

"She used to come over all the time, before her Mum died," Ginny said. "She was a lot different then."

_She's a lot different now_.

Ginny snickered then slapped his hand, sending water spraying. "Prat. Don't be mean."

"Sorry. I do like her, though. She seems…peaceful, I guess."

"Yeah, I know I'm not that peaceful."

She laid her head against his chest, sighing as the heat in the charmed water eased the aches from their training session. "I wonder what it will be like," she whispered.

Harry knew what she was talking about, and his little wizard did too. Ginny giggled a little as she felt him grow erect. "I know someone wants to find out," he muttered.

"Are we too young?" she whispered. She looked down at her breasts, such as they were. "Am I really a woman? Or just a little girl. Should we be wanting this? Wanting it so bad?"

He could feel her desire as strong as his own. After the experiment last week, she had been thinking about the sensation of his lips on her. In their dreams they shared the feeling. "I don't know," he admitted. "It feels like the bond is forcing us into a physical relationship. Before this happened, would you have dreamed of being here now, with me, like this at thirteen?"

"Actually…" She smirked. _I did used to dream of bathing with you. That's why I came in. I realized as I was out there that I always had a fantasy of doing that with you. Only now it doesn't seem so strange._

"Yeah."

"So, you like Luna?" Ginny asked.

"She's strange, but she seems so calm all the time. It…I don't know. Makes me calmer."

_The Ravenclaws pick on her all the time. Your old girlfriend is one of the worst._

"Cho is not my girlfriend."

Ginny snorted. "You wouldn't mind if she were here now instead of me."

She could feel his embarrassment. "I would never be in this situation with her, and you know it. Why are you being mean?"

Her smirk died. "I…" She looked down at the hands folded over her stomach. His wrist was rubbing against her right breast. "I don't…." _I want you. I want you in me. I want your lips on me. And it makes me feel dirty and naughty. I keep seeing my father's face when we made our promise whenever I think about how much I want you, or mother yelling at me. I'm so young—I'm not supposed to feel this way. At least, I don't think so."_

"What about me?" Harry asked. "Am I too young?"

"I don't know."

"If we're too young, Ginny, why does it feel so good?"

_Because of this damned bond! It's making us be more physical than we're supposed to be._

Harry sat up and reached for the bar of soap. They said nothing more as he soaped her body and rinsed her. She did the same, and afterward they carefully dried each other off and padded across the cold room to their bed. Both stopped and stood before it. "I'll understand," he said.

"I know."

He laid down at her direction and she climbed in over him. She kissed him fiercely, pressing her pelvis against his. After a moment of aimless grinding, she started kissing further and further to the south. "Your lips on me next," she whispered.

"Merlin, yes."

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Minerva sat up in bed as the floor below her shuddered violently. Fortunately the extra warding the headmaster put in prevented the whole tower from shaking. It was disturbing to Minerva to know what the two young children below her were doing to generate such a magical discharge.

And yet… other than their age she could think of no reason why they would not engage in such behavior. They were certainly not the youngest students at Hogwarts to experiment, though they were younger than average.

At least they could claim to be married.

She shook her head and laid back down as the floor shook again and she heard the faint echo of a girl screaming, not in agony, but in the throes of an ecstasy children that young should not feel.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Dragons. Somehow, Harry was not surprised that the first task involved dragons, or the fact that he pulled the most dangerous of them. For the hundredth time, he thanked Dumbledore for his help.

The other champions were pacing the tent nervously. Neither Krum nor Delacour looked surprised at the announcement, but Cedric looked positively green. Harry realized that the other Hogwarts champion had no idea what to expect. Harry at least knew it was going to be a dangerous creature of some kind.

He walked across the tent. "Any ideas?"

"A few," Cedric said. "My team thought it was either going to be a maze or a creature so I practiced for both."

"Good," Harry said.

Cedric looked at the fourth year. "You?"

"I asked for help from Professor Dumbledore. You know why."

"Yeah. It's not really fair, you being so young. I'm glad he's helping. Professor Sprout was on my team helping me, so it's all good."

Harry nodded. He liked the older boy, and secretly hoped he won. When they called Cedric's name, he wished the seventh-year the best of luck.

He felt Ginny in the stands and watched through her eyes as Cedric used distraction to lure the dragon far enough away to get the egg, but not without suffering some burns and bruises. He sighed in relief when Cedric got free on his own power.

Victor Krum was next. The soft-spoken Bulgarian strode right out into the area and threw a powerful conjunctivitis curse at the dragon, which roared in anger and stomped half the eggs. He succeeded, but lost points for damaging the eggs and hurting the dragon.

Fleur's approach was the most different.

Harry felt his blush rising as even Ginny responded to the full Veela allure of the Beauxbaton's sinuous dance. It was hard for Harry because when Ginny became aroused, the feeling was even more acute than when Harry felt that way. He shifted uncomfortably in the tent waiting or his turn before the French witch finally retrieved her egg. She would have made it clear if not for a flaming snore from her dragon.

He began to relax when a loud voice said, "Oh, Harry!"

Harry turned, stunned, as a woman with garishly bejeweled glasses stepped into the tent. "Hello, Harry! I have been trying to get a hold of you all year! I almost had you at the weighing ceremony, but for some reason Professor McGonagall wouldn't let me."

Harry felt Ginny's concern in his mind. "Uh, who are you?"

"Why, I'm…"

"Ms. Skeeter, why are you in the champion's tent?"

Harry could not even begin to express his gratitude as Sirius stepped in, resplendent in his auror robes. Harry noticed a captain's bar on his sleeve now. That was new.

"Oh, Sirius Black!" Skeeter breathed. "How wonderful! I can…"

"You can leave," Black said forcefully. He grabbed her arm and started pushing.

"You can't do this, I'm with the Daily Prophet!" She continued saying that as if it were a spell or chant even as Sirius pushed her out.

Just then Ludo Bagman, the tournament director, stuck his head in. "Your turn, Harry."

Harry nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped outside.

The first thing Harry thought was how much bigger the Hungarian Horntail looked from the ground than from the stands where Ginny sat. His second thought was how much _meaner_ the dragon looked.

More than mean. It looked vicious, and was staring at him with enraged yellow eyes. All around the stadium, people were cheering and screaming as the already enraged dragon unleashed a huge billow of fire. Harry was just out of range, but even so he could feel the wash of super-heated air tug at his face and hair.

_How can I do this_? He thought.

_Do it for me,_ came the response. _Do it for this._

With the thoughts came a vivid image of last night; of Ginny looking up at him with love as she placed her lips on him.

The image and the complete wash of sensory memory that came with it was so strong that for a brief moment, Harry felt his whole body go warm with the power that inevitably came when they experimented.

_I can do this. With you._ He started running forward. The crowds screamed; the dragon roared. Malfoy and the Slytherins were jeering and catcalling him.

He ignored it all, thinking of Ginny. He raised his wand and with all his magic, screamed, "_Ulciscor_!"

The restraining charm struck the dragon with shocking power and physically knocked it off the mound of rock it used as its perch. The dragon, trained by dragon handlers using this very spell, hunched down and let out a plaintive cry while Harry ran toward the nest. He kept pouring magic into the barrier, the running at the same time made it difficult.

He tripped once but regained his footing and poured more magic into the barrier until he reached the nest and removed the golden egg. The dragon let out a plaintive yelp again, and surprisingly, Harry could understand.

_My younglings. Do not hurt my younglings._

The dragon was speaking parseltongue, but a different dialect of it. Somehow, Harry could still understand. When he was far enough away, he let the barrier fall, but did not run. _This egg is false. I give you my word your younglings were not harmed._

The dragon mewled again, before bowing its head. _Then I thank you, Master._

Harry bowed back before running back into the tent with his egg.

He beat the other times by a full minute, even Krum's.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Ginny smiled as she sent the image to him of what they had done the previous night. As naughty and dirty is it may have made her feel, she could not deny the bliss and magic that came with it, especially when he reciprocated. She saw the effect on him.

Beside her, her father leaned down at said, "What did you say to him?"

She blushed and did not respond. Arthur Weasley saw the blush and decided he did not want to know. Then they all heard the fourth-year use the dragon warding spell so powerfully it pushed the four ton animal off the stone perch.

Molly gasped. "Arthur, did you see that! He's using one of Charlie's spells. How can he do that? He's only fourteen! How can he…?"

Arthur looked back down at Ginny, who by then was grinning up at him proudly. "I love him," she whispered. "I really do."

Arthur patted his daughter's knee. "That's good, love."

Ginny whipped her head around when she heard the dragon plead for her eggs. She did not even realize dragons were that sentient and felt her eyes water. "Oh that poor thing," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Arthur said.

"The dragon is begging for Harry not to hurt her eggs."

Arthur blinked in surprise and then looked around. Ron, the twins and even Charlie (who looked profoundly impressed at Harry's spellcasting) surrounded Ginny, giving a buffer from the crowd. No one heard her speak.

However, the whole stadium fell silent when Harry clearly spoke parseltongue to the great beast. Arthur felt his own breath catch when the dragon actually bowed before the fourth-year, only to have Harry bow back.

"Dad, did you see that…." Charlie whispered, pale and shaken.

"It's been known since second year that Harry was a parseltongue," Arthur pointed out with forced calm. "It appears that the power extends to dragon tongue as well."

Charlie looked down at his sister. "You realize that boyfriend of yours could make a fortune on the dragon reservations? It would be incredible to be able to speak to them."

Ginny smiled. "I know."

* * *

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Thank you all for reading!


	28. Rosemerta NoName

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rosemerta No-Name**

Sirius rolled off with a happy laugh and lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling of his room in Grimmauld place. Beside him, Rosie reached up and wiped sweat from her brow. "Merlin's left nut, Sirius, you're going to kill me you are."

Sirius grinned, leaned over and took a voluptuous breast in a huge, slurping kiss. "You know you love it, Rosie!"

"Aye, lad. I do love it."

He heard something more in the words and pulled his eyes up from her matronly chest to see her looking at him with a sad smile. He propped himself up and studied her proper. "All right, what's on your mind?"

"I'm fifteen years your senior, Sirius. I'm well into my fifties while you're still in your thirties. What are you doing with me?"

"Shagging you ever chance I get," Sirius said with a shrug.

"Sirius, lad, you need to get yourself a young witch and have children."

"You can have children. I known witches in their sixties to have children."

His quick, simple answer made Rosie sit up and hit him over the head with a pillow—hard. Even as the pillow hit, he couldn't help but admire the way she bounced. "You stop that, Sirius Black! I may be old, but that's no cause to play with me like that!" She jumped off the bed and started to dress when she felt arms around her waist.

"Rosie, stop."

She could not help the sob that emerged. "Why? I've enjoyed myself, but I know what this is. I know you're using me to get over what happened to you, and I've not minded. But you're Sirius Black of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, and I'm Rosemerta No Name, stricken off my family rolls."

And they both knew why.

Sirius grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, startled to see this woman in tears. "Rosie…" he began.

"I didna' think I'd do this," she whispered. "You came in bedraggled and smelling like dog, weeping like a babe in me arms. I gave you what you needed then, but you came back again and again. You acted like I was special and not a stricken witch. I know you're just trying to be kind, but I also know it won't last. I'm not going to just wait to be kicked to the side so you can get your heir. At least let me leave with what pride I've made for myself."

Sirius grabbed the older woman by her locks and pulled her roughly into a kiss to stop her from talking. He pulled back and she blinked at him.

"Okay, I'm not the best talker, so let's get this one done. One, Harry Potter is in my heir. He is a Black through my great aunt Dorea. We actually second cousins on my mother's side, and because we're all so damned inbred he's a third cousin through my father's side. The only reason I haven't formally adopted him is because I loved James's family more than my own and I want Harry to be a Potter first. Two, I love you. I've loved you since seventh year. I don't care about your past, not then, not now. I screwed up and got sent to Azkaban, but I had it in my damned fool head to marry you then if you'd let me. And by Merlin, if you let me, you won't ever be without a family again, because you'd be the matriarch of the Black Family."

Rosie stared long and hard at the man. "You're a fool, Sirius," she said, softly. "To sully the family name with the likes of me."

"It would be an improvement," he snarled. "I don't want any other witch. I want Rosemerta of Hogsmead. I want you to be my wife. If you're willing, then I want us to have a child or two. If not, the family is secure through Harry. But damn it all, Rosie, I want you. Just let me be happy, okay? After twelve magic-forsaken years in that hell hole, just let me be happy with you!"

Since that time a year and a half previous, when he'd stumbled into the inn and wept on her waist, she'd never seen such emotion play out on this man's face. She reached out and ran a hand down his handsome beard, just touched with gray. "You'd take me?" she'd whispered.

"Rosie, I've been taking you ever chance I got," he said with a strained, desperate grin. "I didn't come back just because the sex was so great. I came back for you."

"I don't know what to say."

"Then say yes!"

"Yes?"

"Yes. To be my wife. To be Madame Rosemerta Black."

"Lady Malfoy would laugh at me taking such a name."

"But Andromeda would teach you everything you need to know," Sirius assured her. "I've let her back into the family, her and her daughter. Please, Rosie. Please say yes."

She turned away from him, covering her face with her hands as the sobs overtook her. He placed a hand against her back. "Rosie? I love you."

She spun around abruptly and almost tackled him into the bed. "Yes, damn you!" she said, before proceeding to shag his brains out.

When the owl came an hour later, the two were on the floor draped in afghans, drinking wine before a fireplace and talking about the wedding. Both decided to keep it small, but formal announcements would have to be made.

"Andy will help," Sirius said.

"You know what she's going to say," Rosemerta said. "That I'm a whore. And I am."

"Not any more," he said. "You did what you had to do to survive, and now you own your own business. And I'll duel anyone who says otherwise."

Suddenly Dobby popped up. "Master," the flighty elf said. He was a gift from Narcissa, though Sirius knew Lucius was going to kill the poor creature for its role in helping Harry during the boy's second year. "Owl from Mr. Harry Potter sir."

He took the offered note. "Wonderful, thank you."

When Dobby was gone, he read it, chuckling as he did so. "Did you see that boy at the tournament?"

"Aye, never seen the like. How goes it with that pretty girl of his?"

"Well, according to this, they're asking for female help."

"What's that, now?"

He offered her the note which she read. "A little young," she said. "But then again, so was I, and look where it got me."

"They're legally married."

"True, makes a difference, doesn't it?"

She felt his dark eyes staring at her and turned to look at him. "I know that look, Sirius Black. What is going on in that twisted mind of yours?"

"You can talk to Ginny."

"What?"

He reached down and languidly ran a hand over her sex. "You are the most wonderful, sensual woman I've ever been around."

"I should be, given my life," she admitted ruefully.

"It's happening to them, Rosie. Maybe not all the way because of a promise they made, but everything short of it. And they're having trouble keeping that promise. You could show them all the charms that could help them. And it would be a really good way for Harry to get to know you as his future godmother."

"You're serious? And don't dare make a joke of that!"

His hand drifted up from her sex and rested on her delicious round stomach. "Yes, Rosie. I want you as my wife. And that means I want you as Harry's godmother. He'll love you, I know he will."

"That girl's mother won't," Rosie warned. "Called me a whore in my own inn her seventh year, she did. Little trollop was shagging Arthur Weasley when she was only fourteen and called me a whore!"

"Yeah, I know. But I'm not worried about Molly right now. Just you, Harry and Ginny. Will you?"

"The price is on your head of Molly Weasley comes charging after us."

"Agreed."

"Very well then. Let's write the lad and see if we can meet, maybe during the holidays."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The week after the first task, around the first of December, Harry, Hermione and Ginny listened to the egg again, though Harry closed it quickly as the piercing shrieks hurt their ears.

Hermione had a piece of parchment and a quill in hand. "Well, the egg is supposed to give you a clue to the second task. So, it has to be saying something in some fashion. Our job is to figure out how to decipher meaning from those sounds."

Harry looked at Hermione, seeing in her aura the agitation from this morning.

Ron had embarrassed himself asking the Beauxbaton's champion, Fleur Delacour, to the dance. Despite Hermione trying to make him feel better after the inevitable and soul-crushing rejection, he had completely ignored her. Then, just yesterday, he finally asked Hermione herself to go, only to be told Hermione already had a date.

Ron's disbelief had left her furious and on the verge of tears almost the whole day.

Still, she met with Harry and Ginny in the library to go over the egg. Harry and Ginny decided silently to not comment on what had happened.

"One more time, Harry?" Hermione asked.

He opened the egg for a few moments, and then slammed it closed.

"It just doesn't make sense," Harry said.

"It's just a matter of logic. We'll figure it out eventually," Ginny said.

Hermione's head jerked up. "What did you say?"

Ginny blinked. "I said it's just a matter of…"

"Logic." Hermione grinned brilliantly, and for a moment she was utterly beautiful. Not just to Harry, either. "You remember our Wednesday movie night over summer?"

"The movie with the whale?" Ginny asked.

"You mean Star Trek?" Harry asked. Then he caught up with her. "The probe song."

"It sounded different in space and in the air, but under water the whales could understand it," Hermione pointed out with a broad smile.

"So we need to listen to it under water?" Ginny asked, growing excited.

"I think so," Hermione said.

Ginny grinned at Harry. "We'll just take it with us in the bath!"

Both of them saw Hermione turn bright, bright red. "Well, yes, I suppose that would work."

Ginny and Harry tried to calm their excitement. "Thank you, Hermione," Harry said sincerely. "Wouldn't have figured this out without you."

"Of course not," Hermione said with a haughty smile. She then looked around to confirm their silencing charm was still up around the library table. "Could I ask you two a personal question?"

"Yeah," Harry asked without thinking.

"How far have you two gone? With each other?"

Harry and Ginny shared a long look. Harry's expression was earnest; Ginny's was resigned. Though she could not hear them, Hermione understood what they were saying because she knew Harry so well. Ginny did not want to answer, but Harry was not willing to lie or keep secrets from his best friend.

He looked down at the table surface and clutched his hands around the golden egg. "We promised her dad we wouldn't go all the way before her age of consent. But we've…done other stuff."

Hermione nodded, absorbing all she needed from their expressions. "I was just wondering," she whispered. "I'm of the age of consent in the wizarding world, but not in the muggle world. And my date to the prom is much older than I am. I was just wondering…what it was like, I suppose."

The confession made the young couple look up at their friend in surprise. "I don't think we're normal," Harry finally said.

"What do you mean?"

"Ginny feels everything I do. I feel what she does."

Hermione's eyes widened in first alarm, then shock, and finally in amazement. "That means you can feel everything you do to her and…"

"Vice versa," Ginny said. "And there's more. It's like this stupid bond is actually pushing us to do things. Like it wants us to go all the way."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Ginny, before the first task, when the whole tower shook…that wasn't a potion going bad, was it?"

Ginny's flush was enough of an answer. Hermione was torn between her desire to respect Harry, and her intense need to know what set off such a reaction like that. "So?"

"He…" Ginny flushed scarlet. "He kissed me."

"Where?"

"Down there. On my button."

"Oh. OH! Were you…"

"Through my knickers," Ginny amended quickly. She didn't mention what she'd done to Harry moments previously.

"How was it?"

"Tower shaking," Harry muttered.

Ginny started giggling, and it quickly escalated to guffaws. Hermione, understanding, laughed as well. When at last they settled, Harry reached across and took his friend's hand.

"Hermione, you're beautiful. Ginny and I both love you, and we want you to be safe. Just because it works for us doesn't mean you should rush into anything. We're weird. Just…please don't let yourself be hurt."

Hermione felt her eyes suddenly grow moist. Beside Harry, Ginny simply nodded her agreement. "We do love you," she said. "At first just because he loved you so much, but this past year or so, I've learned why he does. If you ever need anything, please know we're here for you."

Hermione found herself struggling for breath. She cleared her throat and managed to say, "I will. I love you guys too. Thank you."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

That night, they filled the oversized tub as full as it would go. Smiling, Ginny let Harry strip her robes off, kissing her all the way down. She did the same, before they climbed into the tub together with the golden egg. Holding their breaths, they ducked their heads under the water and opened the egg. Where before they heard a painful piercing caterwaul, this time they head a beautiful, magical voice singing.

_Come seek us where our voices sound,  
We cannot sing above the ground,  
And while you're searching, ponder this;  
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,  
An hour long you'll have to look,  
And recover what we took,  
But past an hour - the prospect's black,  
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back_

As soon as the song ended Harry and Ginny emerged from the water gasping. "That doesn't make sense," Harry said. "The only thing I'd ever really miss is you. Don't really care about anything else."

"We'll ask Professor Dumbledore about it later," Ginny said as she placed the egg out of the tub. "In the meantime, I have Harry Potter naked in the tub all to myself. My oh my, whatever will I do?"

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The real Alastor Moody was not a happy man. The week after the discovery of Barty Crouch Jr and the week before the Christmas break, the old auror stomped wearily into their DADA class with a mirror-shattering scowl on his old, scarred face. The man looked pale with dark rings under his one good eye and moved slowly, as if in pain.

His aura was brimming with outrage and self-disgust.

"My name is Alastor Moody," he snarled when he reached the front of the class. "I am not the man who has been teaching you this year. I don't know who the bloody hell any of you are, and frankly don't care to. I've been trapped in a bloody charmed trunk since August and I'm not a happy camper. So I want all of you to take a good look at me now. Look at all the scars on my face. Look at this peg leg of mine. I was an auror for over fifty years. I started catching dark wizards with Dumbledore during Grindelwald's reign in the Second World War. I have captured or killed almost two hundred dark wizards. And in the end I still fell to a stunner in my own home and got captured."

His magical eye swerved frantically over the class as he distilled all of his anger and self recrimination into two words: "CONSTANT VIGILENCE!"

The whole class, Harry and Ginny included, jumped at the roar.

"It doesn't matter how good you are; it doesn't matter how prepared you make yourself; you're always in danger. Always. I don't care what my imposter was planning on teaching you this semester or next. What I'm going to teach you is basic auror tools to ensure you survive what's coming. And make no mistake, you sniveling little prats, what's coming is not good. In the last war, forty three wizarding children under age seventeen were killed. Almost ninety eight young couples were killed. Whole families disappeared. Why do you think your generation has the smallest number of students in the history of this school? Think on that."

Harry and Ginny watched the other students whispering to each other as the old auror turned and walked back behind the desk, where he virtually collapsed in a creaky old wooden chair. "Okay, let's get started. Did that bastard teach any of you basic shield charms?"

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The day before the holidays, Ginny and Harry decided they had had enough of Ron. When they sought allies, both were pleased when the twins agreed to help.

Hermione was in the common room trying to finish revising before the holidays started. Harry went and sat beside her, nodding before making a show of pulling out his own books. Ginny went up to the dorm room where her brother and his roommates rested. She knocked once and then stepped in without waiting for a response.

Fortunately, the boys were all decent. Ron and Seamus were playing wizard's chess, Neville was carefully trimming a bonsai plant he had by the window, while Dean Thomas was writing a letter. In the background the wizarding wireless was playing a Wild Warlock song.

"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Ron demanded.

"I need to talk to you downstairs," Ginny said.

"Go away, I'm busy."

Without hesitation, Ginny pulled her wand and banished the chest set into the wall. The pieces could be heard cursing at her. "Now, Ron."

Ron stood, flushed and angry. "What'd ya do that for!"

"Now, Ron," Ginny said again, channeling their mother to such perfection Ron responded almost on autopilot. With a shrug at the other boys, he dutifully followed his sister down the stairs until he saw Harry and Hermione at the table.

"What's this, then?" he demanded.

Before he could turn to leave, Fred and George stepped up behind him, grabbed his arms and forced him to sit at the table. Hermione looked around, wide-eyed and obviously worried. Harry, though, was smiling as Ginny, Fred and George took their seats around their wayward brother.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"We're having a family meeting," Ginny declared.

Ron started to say something when George elbowed him. In the head.

"Oops, sorry-o there, chap," the twin said with a grin as Ron clutched his head.

Ginny, meantime, threw up a quick privacy ward around the table. "So, here's the deal," Fred began. "Harry is a part of the Weasley family. Has been since summer before his second year. So he's official."

"And by the majority vote of all the Weasleys at Hogwarts," George continued without missing a beat, "we have decided to name one Hermione Granger an honorary Weasley as well."

"Thus raising the family intelligence quotient by at least fifty points," Fred said.

"To make up for Ron," George added.

Ron blushed an angry red. Harry, though, looked right at his friend. "Ron, do you really think I entered the tournament?"

Ron sputtered a bit before slouching. "No. Not after the dragon. Sorry for being a prat."

"And Ron," Ginny said, "did you really mean those things you said about Hermione?"

"No," Ron admitted, red-faced.

Hermione, though, wasn't about to let that go. "You called me a plain bookworm," she said.

"I…" Ron looked around at the faces of his family, then back to the table. "Sorry."

"Why, though? Why say such horrible things about me? I thought you liked me!"

"Be…cause you wouldn't be my date."

Hermione took her role of parchment and snapped it down over his head. "Ron, you stupid, stupid boy! If you had asked me when they announced it instead of waiting until the last minute and then acting like a prat, I might have said yes! If nothing else, I might have at least gone with you as your friend. Did you even think about it? Did you even notice I was a girl?"

"That, dear honorary sister…" Fred began.

"…Is the problem," George finished.

"Ron is slow sometimes," Ginny explained. "And I think it wasn't until you already had a date that he realized that you weren't just a girl, but that you were a beautiful one. Problem is, he doesn't know how to speak because he's a stupid prat!"

Ron just sank down a little further.

"We need you guys to be good," Harry said. "This tournament is scary. I'm only in it because a convicted death eater entered me. Think about that. I need you both. You're the first friends I ever had, and when you're fighting it drives me nutters. So please, at least try to be friends again."

Ron looked up at Hermione, alternately pale and flushed. Finally, working up the courage, he said, "I'm sorry, Hermione. You're one of my best friends too."

"I forgive you, Ron," Hermione said. "But don't let it happen again."


	29. Yule Ball

I have retasked my forums specifically for review responses. The responses to Chapter 28 can be found there. In the meantime, thank you all for your reviews and comments. I greatly appreciate it.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Yule Ball**

Harry tried his best not to stare. However, even when he managed to control himself, Ginny stared too, and he found himself looking through her eyes.

Hermione looked beautiful.

"What do you know?" Ginny finally said, breaking the silence. She looked at Ron. "There really is a girl under there."

Poor Ron looked sick. His horrid robes did not help anything since they cast his skin in a pallid light. But he looked so very hopeless as he stared at Hermione, Harry had an insane urge to go pet him.

Ginny snickered at the thought. The four friends made their way out of the common room toward the Great Hall where the dance was to take place. There they found Victor Krum. He too paused for a moment in surprise as he saw Hermione.

The bookworm in question smiled over her shoulder. "I'll see you later," she said with a gentle smile before leaving them to join the Durmstrang champion.

"Wow," Ginny said when she was gone. Then she turned around to Ron and popped the top of his head, which she could barely reach. "Next time, ask her first!"

"Alright already!" Ron muttered morosely. "I know!"

His date finally showed up, though she did a double-take at his robes. Parvati sighed as she hooked a sad Ron's arms and glared at Ginny. "You guys owe me big time," she said before dragging Ron to the hall.

"We really do," Ginny muttered. She turned and began straightening Harry's bowtie. She stepped back, and then said, "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful," he said. And he showed her how stunning she looked in the teal green dress she wore. It was form-fitting without being tight, and accentuated her still subtle but increasingly noticeable curves.

Her cheeks pinked. "You too," she said.

They hooked their arms together and joined the other champions.

Neither were particularly good dancers; when Harry accidentally stepped on a toe he felt it and stumbled as much as Ginny. However, instead of being upset or indignant (as Parvati was repeatedly when she tried dancing with Ron) Ginny laughed and teased Harry until he laughed too.

Finally the formal dance ended, the Weird Sisters began playing, and the two gave up any pretense of trying to look graceful, since no one else was either. After a solid two hours of dancing, the young couple took a break and looked across the floor at where a despondent Ron sat at a table alone. Parvati could only take so much, and was now dancing with her twin and a male Ravenclaw sixth year.

Hermione sat near Ron, talking to him passionately about something. She looked frustrated, angry and sad at the same time.

"I hope he doesn't ruin the evening for her," Harry said.

"He does that a lot," Ginny agreed sadly. She looked up at her own date. "But not for us. Not tonight. Walk with me?"

The gardens outside had been charmed for heat and privacy, much like a miniature maze. They saw many couples happily mauling each other in the secluded alcoves, until they finally found one themselves. They did not snog, since they could do that any time. Rather Harry sat on a bench, leaned against the antiquated light pole, and had Ginny lean against him. Even with the heating charm, there was still a chill in the air. He took off his overcoat, draped it over the two of them, and they simply snuggled.

_I love you_, she thought to him.

_Love you too._

_What do you think they're going to take for the second task?_ Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Harry said aloud. "Something…" _I treasure. My dad's cloak, maybe? The picture album I have of my parents? Really, the only thing I really treasure is you._

Ginny smiled and snuggled closer to him. "Do you think you'll win the tournament? You're ahead now."

"I doubt it," Harry said. "And really, I'm only in because a death eater wanted me to die. Personally, I hope Cedric wins. He's a really good guy, and he deserves it."

"Yeah, I suppose he does. But you're not going to just give up. You can't do that."

Harry snorted. "'Course not. I'll play as hard as I can. But if it came down to a choice, I'd choose Cedric over myself. The cup was fooled for me. But it chose him because he deserves to be champion."

Neither saw the strangely colored beetle that, despite the season, crawled on a hedge nearby.

**~~Bonds of Blood~~**

The day after the dance, Harry and Ginny returned by floo to Grimmauld place for their week with Sirius.

They were pleased by the many differences in the house. For one, it was clean. Not just swept and dusted clean; plaster had been replaced. Walls had been removed or expanded. New paint coated each room, or in more formal areas of the house a rich, Gryffindor-red satin fabric covered the walls.

The changes opened the house up immensely and did away with the narrow hall that everyone saw when they first walked in. Instead they saw a few wooden support columns but otherwise a large, open area that Sirius called the grand entryway, but which was in reality just an open family room accentuated by a large, comforting fireplace.

Sirius himself wore a sharply tailored pin-stripe suit when he met them. "Happy New Year!" he bellowed when they stepped through the door. He swept both up in tight hugs. He smelled of brandy. "Come on, everyone's waiting."

"Everyone?" Ginny asked with trepidation.

Sirius merely winked again and ordered a trembling and happy Dobby to take their bags. He then led them into the massively renovated and expanded kitchen. The young couple blinked in surprise when they saw a group of people waiting expectantly for them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my Godson and his bride have returned!" Sirius declared happily.

Harry and Ginny looked about and saw a familiar face immediately. Remus Lupin sat smiling at the two over a glass of wine. He looked relaxed and happy. Two women sat beside him—an older woman with a heart-shaped face and long dark hair, and beside her a younger version of herself, but with bright pink hair. On the other side of the older woman said a gentleman with thinning blonde hair and a gentle smile.

At the counter was someone Harry did not expect to see at all. "Madame Rosemerta?" Ginny asked.

The older matron turned and smiled at them, but not with the brassy, confident smile she used when they visited the Three Broomsticks. Rather, she looked shy and uncertain.

"Well, introductions," Sirius said. "Harry, Ginny, you know Remus. Beside him is my beautiful cousin Andromeda Tonks neé Black, and her husband Teddy. And this is my cousin Nymphadora Tonks."

"Just Tonks," the girl all but growled. "We've met, Sirius. I sat with Harry at your trial, remember?"

"I do remember you," Harry said. "Nice to meet you all."

"Harry, Ginny, I would also like to introduce you to my fiancée, Rosemerta."

The young couple stared at the now painfully shy Rosemerta as Sirius hugged her.

The silence went on for a heartbeat beyond comfort before Harry said, "Brilliant!"

Rosie seemed to actually sag a little in relief. "You mean that, lad?"

"It's all over the two of you," Ginny said, also grinning now. "You need him to make you feel like a whole person, and he needs you to mother him and make him be better. You're exactly what each of you needs!"

The lightning fast aura analysis made the adults in the room blink a bit before Sirius grinned. "Perfect. Have a seat."

The two sat at the dinner table with the rest as Dobby placed plates of sandwiches and pumpkin juice before them. When they were fed, Sirius and Rosie pulled up chairs to the table. "Well, I'm very glad you two approve. I've made some other changes to the family, too. My dear old mother harped on dad until he struck Andromeda from the family because she married Teddy here. I've formally taken them back into the family. Just like I've formally added your line in the family as well, Harry. And now you, Ginny."

"We were already related," Ginny noted.

"We all are," Andromeda said. "Bunch of inbred purebloods, we are. Thankfully we were all smart enough to marry out of the family."

"Well, be that as it may," Sirius said, "Harry, Ginny, when we make the public announcement you're probably going to be hearing some things about Rosie here."

Harry and Ginny both turned and studied Rosemerta, absently falling into her aura. Her colors were swirling and chaotic, filled with pain, anguish, and overwhelming passion and sensuality. They saw through the colors a young woman taking a muggle-born lover as a fourth year, only to be struck from her family in shame. They saw a young woman struggling to survive, and realizing that her body was the greatest and only asset she had. The young woman sold herself both within and without the wizarding society, saving her precious pounds and galleons until she was able to buy the Three Broomsticks and give up that life.

Rosemerta started her life as a prostitute.

Harry and Ginny couldn't help their blushes. Sirius was about to start telling them some of the rumors when Harry said, "It's all right, Sirius. She did what she did to survive. And she makes you happy. We can see it."

Everyone at the table stared at the two in surprise. "You know?" Rosie finally asked in a tremulous voice.

Remus, though, said calmly, "Didn't you see their eyes go glassy when they looked at you, Rosie? They're aura readers, both of them. And as far as I'm concerned, when they said you were perfect for each other, it was gospel truth. For they were saying it after reading your auras. You are perfect for each other."

Rosie looked from Remus back to the two kids. Ginny stood, walked around Sirius, and gave the older woman a hug. "You deserve any happiness you can get," she said.

"And Sirius deserves all the happiness you can give him," Harry added.

"You're mum won't be pleased," Sirius said to Ginny.

"My mum is so mad about us I don't think she'll care," Ginny muttered as she returned to Harry's side.

Harry lifted his chin. "Doesn't matter if she's mad or not," he declared. "You're my family, Sirius." He looked at Rosie. "And that means you are too. I'd be glad to call you godmother."

Rosie grew teary-eyed for a moment. 'Thank you, lad. I'll admit the two of you were my greatest worry."

"I for one am very happy for you, Cousin," Andromeda said. She spoke with a cultured articulation that just screamed nobility. "Anything to make a proper gentlemen of you, I support. And Rosie, I imagine you remember more of your childhood training than you think. You'll do just find as Lady Black."

**~~Bonds of Blood~~**

Andromeda Tonks watched her favorite cousin's godson closely that evening.

Sirius was as happy as she had ever seen him. With Rosie there, the manic light in his eyes that seemed to haunt him since his release was gone, and for the first time she got to see shades of the young man she adored so much as a little girl. For that reason alone, she was willing to overlook the older woman's sordid past.

Sirius and Remus were having fun telling everyone about their youthful adventures. Andromeda was at first surprised at how readily Lupin admitted his condition, but then many at the table evidently already knew, including Harry Potter and his ridiculously young bride.

The stories went back earlier and earlier, until Sirius and she began sharing their own stories of growing up in this very house under the questionable guidance of Walburga Black. The fact that Walburga was already a Black when she marred her second cousin Orion was not lost on anyone. The fact that her brother Cygnus lived with them after his wife Druella Rosier died merely reinforced the bonds she, Bella, Cissy, Regulus and Sirius shared. Though they were first cousins, Andromeda remembered a very serious conversation with her father about possibly marrying Sirius anyway, but he convinced her that any children born of such a union would at the very best be squibs, if not sickly or deformed.

"So went wrong?" Harry finally asked of the black children. "How did they end up like they are?"

"They weren't able to escape," Andromeda answered for her cousin. "Sirius and I did. Sirius was the only direct male descendent in the main family branch after Regulus died, so they never formally expelled him from the family. Waburga burned his face of the wall paper, but she could not disinherit him after his father died. When I married Ted here, well, I was only a woman and one of three sisters, so my disinheritance was not difficult for them. Cissy and Bella were so scared of that happening to them that they didn't fight when the marriages were arranged. I assure you, Bella was repulsed by Rodolphus Lestrange at their first meeting, and Cissy considered Lucius and effeminate fop."

The table had grown somber. "I'm not going to excuse anything they've done," Andromeda added. "But once upon a time I'd like to think we were all innocent, happy people. But Rudolphus Lestrange was a right bastard, pardon my language. And Lucius brought nothing to the marriage but money. Still, Cissy isn't suffering to badly. She actually exchanges a few posts with me each year."

That seemed to surprise Sirius. "Really? Well, she was always more Black than Malfoy."

"Sirius, you said we were cousins," Harry said. "Does that mean I'm related to Malfoy too?"

"Let's see," Andromeda began before Sirius could mess the family tree up. "Your grandfather Charlus married Dorea, who was my great aunt. James was my father's first cousin, which makes you my second cousin, same as Sirius. That means you and Draco would be second cousins once removed."

Harry shuddered, but Ginny patted his hand. "Don't worry, my grandmother on Dad's side was a Black too."

"That's right," Andromeda said. "Cedrella, from Arcturus' line. Actually, Ginny, you're lucky. Arcturus was unusually reasonable for a Black. He died when I was seven, but I remember he was always nice at the reunions. All his children did well."

"That's right; Frank Longbottom had a few cousins from Callidora in the Longbottom side," Sirius remembered. "So, not all the Blacks are bastards."

"Couldn't have been too bad," Harry said while looking pointedly at his godfather.

Andromeda enjoyed the way her cousin's face lit up, and decided that whatever other rumors might have been true, Harry Potter was a good lad. "Well, while we're on the subject of family," she said, "I for one would like the full story of how young Mrs. Potter came to be sitting with us today. The news reports have been spotty, but Ginny, Ted and I both work with your father and know him to be an honorable, progressive man who would not ordinarily in a million years certify the marriage of his then twelve-year-old daughter. Now that we're all family here, is this a story that we could share?"

Harry looked at Sirius, who smiled. "Tell her, Harry. And then when you're done, I'll let you know the real reason I asked everyone here."

So, Harry and Ginny told their story about the diary, about Ginny almost dying and the decision Harry made to save her. He told her about finding out of Malfoy's involvement, and about why Dobby now lived with them.

"So the marriage is really just to cover the fact that you are soul-bound," Andromeda summed up.

Ginny's cheeks flushed brilliantly. "Er, more than that…" she began.

"I love her," Harry said defiantly. "And she loves me. It wasn't like that in the beginning. We did fight a lot, but I've seen her life. I know what she's thinking and feeling. And she knows me. She's seen all the things that have happened to me and why I am the way I am. And after all that, well…."

For the first time since they arrived, Ted Tonks spoke. "It's as if you have the intimacy of twenty years of marriage all boiled down to a few minutes."

The young couple looked surprised for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I guess it is like that."

"I know for us," Ted said, "we fought and went through some hard times. After Andy was kicked out of the Black family was especially hard. I know she was questioning whether she did the right thing marrying me—she couldn't help it. But we got older and got to know each other better and better, and we discovered that she did do the right thing. She went from being my wife to my best friend, and now I have both."

Andromeda smiled at her husband, a smile that promised he would be well rewarded for such kind and loving sentiment. Then she saw Harry and Ginny blushing brilliantly and remembered the two could probably read her aura.

She winked at them. Harry looked startled, as if caught in a bright light. Ginny blushed brighter, but also grinned happily at the two.

Yes, Andromeda decided, these were good kids.

"So, let's talk about more sobering issues," Sirius said. "I know that the wedding is the official reason I brought you in today, but there are other things going on that everyone needs to be aware of. Frightening things. Remus already knows, as does Harry and Ginny. But for the rest, I am going to invoke the Black Sacramentum oath."

Andromeda blinked. "The Black family fidelity oath? Sirius, what are you going on about?"

"I'll take it," Andy's daughter said without hesitation. The younger Tonks' hair shifted from pink to brown. "I know just enough to know it's important, Mum."

Tonks removed her wand and placed the tip to her heart. "_Ego sudo super plurrimi opimus domus Black ut subsisto dielius communico_," she said. The air around her shimmered as the ancient oath bound her magic to Sirius as the head of the family.

To Andromeda, Sirius said, "The oath doesn't just protect the secret, it protects you as well, Andy. There are legillimens who would very much like to know what we are discussing. It's for everyone's protection. I promise."

"I've already given an unbreakable vow," Remus said. "Since I'm not a Black I can't bind myself to Sirius as my head of house."

Seeing the determination in her cousin's eyes, Andromeda vowed to remain faithful and to not divulge any family secrets. The magic settled into her blood relationship with Sirius. Ted, bound magically to her through marriage, gave the same oath.

"Thank you," Sirius said. "Now, to the point. Voldemort is not dead. We believe he fashioned horcruxes to anchor his soul to his world. When his body was destroyed in 1981, his soul lingered on. Based on the events leading to Harry's entry into the TriWizard Tournament this year, we believe that Voldemort has made contact with at least some of his former servants and is actively trying to obtain a new body."

The moment Sirius said the name Andromeda grew faint and found herself gasping for her husband's hand. "He's…"

"He was possessing Professor Quirrel my first year," Harry said. "Trying to get the Philosopher's Stone. My mum's blood protection saved me and killed Professor Quirrell, but Voldemort's spirit escaped. He was drinking unicorn blood."

Andy shuddered at the thought. "I don't understand why Harry's involved, though."

"There is a prophecy," Sirius said. "I don't know the full contents, only that it was what made James and Lily, and Frank and Alice Longbottom, go into hiding in 1981. It identified a child born at the end of July as being a threat to Voldemort. Dumbledore has refused to let me say anything about this, but I don't entirely trust him to do what is right, only what he thinks is right."

"He's not a bad man," Harry said.

"No, Harry, Albus is a truly great wizard," Sirius said. "But he is also over a century old. He was raised in an era where children were expected to always obey their elders and to never be heard, only seen. He doesn't see you as a brilliant young wizard. He sees you as a child. In his mind, you cannot be allowed to make decisions for yourself because, from his perspective, it simply isn't conceivable. But I've seen what happens when adults make all the decisions for their children, and when those children make their own. The proof is at this table. And so I'm going against the headmaster's wishes, and telling you everything I know. It's your life. It's Ginny's life now too, and I owe too much to you to continue to lie."

He reached into the pocket of his vest and removed a crocked locket that appeared ancient, with a Slytherin-style S on it. "Andy, Regulus died to get this locket."

Andromeda paled. "Reggie?"

"This was one of the Dark Lord's hocruxes. Regulus sacrificed his life to bring it here. Kreacher must have been protecting it, but when Remus and I cleaned the house out, it was shipped with the other dark artifacts to the DOM. Croaker contacted me about it when I accepted my current assignment and we were able to destroy it with basilisk venom."

He reached into another pocket and removed ring with a large black stone. "This we found in the ancestral home of the Gaunt family. During my researches I discovered that Voldemort was actually born to Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle, a muggle nobleman."

"The Dark Lord is a half-blood?" Andromeda gasped.

"Yep. But through his mother, he was truly the heir of Slytherin as well. The diary Harry and Ginny told you about makes three. We are negotiating with the goblins to try and gain access to the vaults of convicted Death Eaters to see if there are any others."

"How…how many?" Ted Tonks asked.

"We're working on an assumption that he made six horcruxes, with himself as the seventh. Since I rejoined the auror corps, I have been working with Amelia Bones and Algie Croaker in the DOM to hunt these things down. Right now, if Voldemort regained his body, all we could do is destroy the body until he gains a new one. He is in essence immortal at the moment. But if we can find and destroy the horcruxes, we can destroy him once and for all."

"Fudge doesn't know this, does he?" Andromeda said.

"No, nor will he if Amelia Bones has her way," Sirius said. "Fudge is very firmly in Lucius' back pocket. The man is not a friend to Harry and if Voldemort ever does gain a new body, he will be more of a hindrance than a help."

"So what do we do?" Tonks asked. "I mean, now that we know what's going on?"

"Right now, just be safe, keep your eyes open and your ears tuned," Sirius said. "Harry, if for some reason you need help, you come directly here and floo one of the people around the table. Tonks, Albus has been playing with the idea of reactivating the Order of the Phoenix. If Voldemort ever does regain his body, you'll probably be recruited through Shack. The man's been one of Dumbledore's staunchest supporters in the ministry. Remus and I too. But I want to state here and now that your first loyalty should be to the family. And that means to Harry. I will not let Albus make my godson into a martyr."

Andromeda noticed the slightly glazed, surprised look in the boy's face. "Sirius I…I think Snape knows the prophecy."

"What?"

"I…"

"We read his aura," Ginny explained when Harry stumbled. "Snape hates himself because he's the one that betrayed the prophecy to Voldemort."

Sirius listened to that in silence, his face falling into a stony mask. "Sirius, darling," Rosie said, breaking the silence that followed Harry's statement. "I know what's going through that head of yours. But just remember this—the last time you chose vengeance over protecting Harry here, where did it land you?"

Sirius visibly calmed down until he was able to take a deep, relaxing sigh.

Harry smiled at Rosie. "And that's why you're perfect for him."

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Thank you for reading.


	30. Intimate Education

Chapter 29 Author Response/Comments are available in the Bonds of Blood forum. Thanks.

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**Chapter Thirty: Intimate Education**

"Sirius, do the kids look a little peeked to you?" Rosie asked after breakfast following the Yule Ball.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. They run a pattern now, according to Poppy. They go a week or so, do one of the experiments I've told you about, super charge themselves, and go another week."

Rosie took this all in quietly. "You mean if they don't play around they start to look like that? The poor dears looked ready to pass out at the breakfast table." She shuddered at the thought when Sirius merely nodded. "What happened to them isn't really a blessing, is it?"

"No, we don't think so," Sirius said. "Arthur is beside himself, terrified that even sex won't hold the negative effects of the bond off forever. He's absolutely terrified that they'll end up next to Frank and Alice on the long term ward. But in the mean time, playing around seems to help them. That's why I was hoping you'd be able to give them some hints. Maybe some advice. Like we talked about."

"How explicit?"

"Well, we know they've done some things. Don't think of them as kids, Rosie. They're a legally married couple. Just think of them as a young couple coming to you for advice."

"Well, okay, if you're sure. Are you going to be here?"

"No, I have to go into the office today. We're having another meeting with the goblins. We have to keep the meetings below Fudge's radar since Malfoy will definitely oppose us."

"Okay, well, you be about your business, then."

Sirius finally took the floo into work, leaving Rosemerta in the house with two young, sexually active teens. She began the process of looking for them until she finally found them in the third-floor library.

The two were hard at work on their homework, despite their ragged, tired appearance.

"Hello, you two," she said as she stepped in.

"Hi, Rosie," Harry said with a kind smile. "Sirius go into work today?"

"Aye, he did, lad." Rosie took one of the oversized chairs across from the table the two had their work spread out on. "There's something Sirius wanted me to talk to the two of you about, but I'm not sure how to begin. It's important, though."

"It's okay, you can tell us," Ginny said. The girl sat up a little attentively.

"I wanted to talk to you two about sex."

Instantly both of them flushed. "Well, we've already had that talk," Harry said.

"Lad, you misunderstand. I'm not here to give you the snitch and dragon talk. That's what a parent is for. I'm here to give you the rod and butterfly talk."

"Not heard that one," Ginny said.

"Well then, come with me. You're homework will keep for a time."

The two curious, slightly embarrassed teens followed the older matron through the house until they arrived in the basement. Once a repository of weapons and dark artifacts, the room had been converted into a game room with billiards, darts, a reinforce table for exploding snap, and in the corner a large, modern pensieve.

"I didn't know Sirius had that," Harry exclaimed.

"It's new. And we've been using it for…personal entertainment," Rosie said.

Neither child knew what she was talking about, so she led them to the wooden cabinet behind the stone bowl. "Ginny, child, it is traditional for young brides from pureblood families to watch certain pensieve memories for education purposes. I'd like the two of you to watch this."

She dropped the memory into the bowl with her wand, and the three of them found themselves in a bedroom. A woman in skimpy white undergarments waited demurely on a large bed. "Rosie?" Ginny asked as the door opened and a bare-chested wizard with shoulder-length black hair stepped in, "Is this one of _those_ kind of pensieves?"

"It is," she said. "And I want you to watch. Don't be embarrassed."

Harry's face was burning brilliantly, though his eyes were glued to the impossibly attractive couple.

"Now that's what we're really here fore," Rose said as he stepped to the couple and began pointing. "I know you two have made a promise. But Sirius also told me you almost have to do something or else you start to look…well, like you do now. You've evidently seen a little about what I used to do for a living, so Sirius thought I was as good as anyone to give you two some real advice."

"Mum'll kill us," Ginny muttered.

"Not if she doesn't find out," Rosie said. "There's a reason your brother didn't come over, lass. Nothing we say will ever leave this memory. Now come over here, please. Look, don't be ashamed. These two are a married couple who practice good old fashioned sex magick. They regularly power the wards for new homes, they bless crops for good yields, and perform classical fertility rites. You don't hear about them because your family is firmly light aligned and, even though sex is actually one of the lightest and purest light rituals out there, it is still a ritual. The Light families strongly frown on all ritualistic magicks."

"Was your family?" Harry asked. "I mean, your old one?"

"Honestly, lad, I'd prefer not to talk about that."

"Oh, okay, sorry."

"No worries, lad. No, the reason I'm showing this to you is that there is a lot that can be done with each other without actual penetration. And this pensieve is going to show you pretty much every one of them. See what he's doing now?"

"Merlin yes," Ginny said. She was not blushing, she was flushed. Beside her, Harry looked almost faint.

"We can…do that?"

"You can do whatever you need to do," Rosie said. "As far as your godfather and I are concerned, you two are married. Up to the limits of your promise, you do whatever it is that you need to do to make sure you keep that bond under control. Cunnilingus is a good way to do that. Now, watch this."

The actors moved about, and Harry and Ginny were both flushed bright red as the memory became infused with moans. They continued to watch for another twenty minutes before the memory came to an explosive, messy end.

The room twisted about until the three of them found themselves back in the game room. Rosie was watching them intently. "I know this can be embarrassing to talk about," she said. "But it's good to get things out of the way. Now, do you have any questions?"

"Can…can Ginny get pregnant like that?"

"Not likely," Rosie said. "For her to get pregnant, you have to ejaculate inside her. For you to do that, you have to penetrate her. And from what I've been told, you're not willing to go that far yet."

Both nodded, though not as fervently as before. Neither said anything for the longest time, though Rosie could see they were talking to each other in that silent way Sirius had warned her about.

"You want to see more, don't you?" Rosie asked with a sly grin. "Don't be shy. This isn't to tantalize, it's to educate. Young brides see these all the time; you're married, so it's only right. Come on, I'll get another out."

Thirty minutes later, two red-faced teens thanked Rosie for her time, and then almost ran out of the game room clutching each other's hands. It would have been funny, if not for the most definite flare of sparkling magic that formed around their hands right before they started up the stairs.

Rosie had no doubt what the two were going to be doing. "Good on them," she decided as she started storing the pensieve memories away. The one she showed them was a favorite of Sirius's.

She walked up from the room and into the kitchen to fix herself a drink. Ordinarily she'd be back at the Three Broomsticks, but over the holidays business was slow enough that Bart could handle things, and it was nice to spend the holiday with her new family.

Before she could say a word, she heard a scream, followed by a tremor that made the whole house shake and left the chandeliers rocking. Terrified for the children, she ran up the stairs to their room and ran in without a second's hesitation.

She found a sweaty Harry and Ginny wrapped in a thin sheet in each other's arms, obviously nude, glowing so brightly they were brighter than the fireplace. "Gods above, are you two alright?"

"Yes!" Ginny said with a giddy happy laugh. "Yes, yes, yes! I'm perfect!"

Beside her, Harry blushed bright red but managed a grin as well. "Your advice worked really well," he managed to say. "Thank you."

Rosie didn't know what to say at first. Then she shook her head and realized it didn't matter—the two were completely lost in each other. With a grin and a fond shake of her head, she stepped back out and closed the door.

As she was walking back down the stairs, she heard more moans.

"Ahh, the stamina of youth," she said.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

A month later, Harry and Ginny found themselves in the headmaster's office, holding hands before Dumbledore and, strangely enough, Madame Maxime. The half-giantess was looking at the young couple with open curiosity and the hint of a smile.

"Well, thank you two for coming," Dumbledore said. "Harry, have you figured out the second clue yet?"

"Something I treasure is going to be hidden in the Black Lake," Harry said.

Dumbledore looked at Maxime without comment, and she gradually nodded. "Very well, Dumbly-dore," she said with her heavy accent.

"Harry, I've asked Madame Maxime to join us because the second task concerns me greatly. The treasured part does not refer to an item, but to a person."

Harry's eyes widened and Ginny blushed. "You can't take Ginny."

"You're right, but not for the reason you suspect. I wish to perform a test, with your permission. The treasured person is going to be placed in perfect stasis to protect them under water. It does not harm them at all, or I would never have agreed to this particular task. I would like to perform this charm on Ginevra."

Harry looked at Ginny who gave a hesitant nod. "Okay."

"Now, Ginny, please lean back in the chair and make yourself comfortable so that you do not fall. Harry, please stand over here by my desk. You can watch the entire time."

"Yes, sir."

"Ginny, I'm going to cast the spell in three, two, one, now!"

He cast the spell and Ginny slumped into stasis. Madame Maxime was looking at the girl and so did not immediately see Harry also slump to the floor. The sound of the thump he made drew her attention to him.

"Dumbly-dore?"

"It is as I told you, Olympe. They are well and truly soul-bound. It is not just a marriage of convenience like the Daily Prophet would have you believe. Miss Weasley's soul was terribly damaged, almost destroyed, and Harry gave of his own soul to save her. Hence a bond that cannot be fought, which requires ongoing physical contact, and has essentially rendered them man and wife."

"I see now why you do not wish them to compete."

"Exactly. Harry cannot operate while Ginny is in stasis. For their safety, I do not want this fact widely known, Olympe. I cannot stress how important it is that this not be released to the public. But if at least two schools agree, I can use a substitution for Mrs. Potter. Her bother, Ronald Weasley, is one of Harry's best friends and would meet the spirit of the engagement, if not the actual letter of the contest."

"Very well, I will agree to this. But first, remove the spell. But remove it on Mr. Potter first, s'il vous plait."

Dumbledore smiled at her and then cancelled the spell not on Ginny, but on Harry. He started to blink and sit up, and across the room, Ginny did the same.

"Stupéfiant!" Maxime whispered. "Truly amazing."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

"So, do you have a plan?" Hermione asked.

"Gillyweed," Ginny said.

"It was cousin Andromeda's suggestion," Harry added. "Her husband Ted is a herbologist. It will let me breath under water for an hour."

"Good thing, too. You kept overpowering the bubblehead charm," Ginny said.

"Three trips to Madam Pomfrey to fix my ears," Harry agreed, wincing at the memories.

"What happens when you overpower a bubblehead charm?" Hermione asked.

"It pops. Really loudly," Harry said.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

February 24th proved to be cloudy and overcast. Snow clung to shadows, but recent rains had washed much of it away, leaving the grounds green but very cold. The Dark Lake looked even worse.

"You doing alright there, Harry?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah, suppose. You?"

"I'm alright. Good luck to you."

"You too, mate."

The announcements were made, Bagman shot the signal into the air with his wand, and they were off. Harry was still chewing the gillyweed when he hit the water. Though the shock of it almost made him lose what was in his mouth, he finally forced some of the foul substance down his throat, and in seconds was breathing normally in the water. He felt at his neck with webbed fingers and could feel the gills.

Grinning, he shot down through the blackened water toward Ron. Though Ron was no longer his most treasured possession, he still cared a great deal for his friend and vowed to save him. Halfway down, he saw the Beauxbaton's champion struggling against a swarm of grindylows.

Without a thought, Harry shot off a banishing hex at the whole lot. He cast shouting the word in his mind, in effect doing a silent casting. It worked, though. Delacour looked up at him in surprise when she found herself free of her attackers.

By then, Harry was already swimming down toward the bottom of the dark lake.

On the shore, Ginny walked through the crowd until she found her childhood friend, Luna Lovegood. Luna turned to her with her wide, perpetually surprised silver eyes. "Why, hello Ginevra. For some reason I thought you would be at the bottom of the lake."

"They had to do a substitution," Ginny said without bothering to elaborate.

Luna nodded and made no sign of questioning why the substitution was necessary. Instead, she said, "I notice that Ronald and Miss Granger are missing. Is that why you came to me?"

She said it with such open acceptance that Ginny felt horrible. The fact is, she did purposefully go looking for friends. She had drifted away from her old dormmates through the year and felt odd seeking comfort from them. Though she was not physically older than them, she felt older.

Luna, though, had an almost ageless quality. "You're peaceful," she realized aloud. "Something Harry said. You make him feel peaceful whenever he talks to you. I was hoping…I guess I was hoping it would work for me too. I'm scared."

"Oh," Luna said. Then the young Ravenclaw draped an arm around Ginny's shoulders and simply held her.

As she sighed into the hug, she realized that Harry was right. "You are peaceful," she said. "I'm sorry for ignoring you so much."

"You've had a lot on your mind and soul," Luna said. "You're not who you used to be. But then, I am not who I used to be either. Although I suspect I wasn't who I used to be when I was being that person as well, but I get confused so I am not certain."

Ginny grinned and hugged the pale blonde back. "Don't ever change, Luna."

"Sadly, change is inevitable. But if you need me, I'll always be here. I rather enjoy it. It's like having friends myself."

The two girls stood by the dark of the lake, watching and waiting. Ginny, though, closed her eyes so she could see more clearly what Harry was doing. The sight of her brother and Hermione both hanging suspended under water make her gasp abruptly.

Of course Harry would try to save everyone.

She watched a partially transfigured Krum swoop in to save Hermione, while Cedric Diggory sawed at the ropes holding Cho Chang. She fought down the surge of jealously she still felt for the gorgeous Ravenclaw.

Harry, not caring about the outcome, continued to wait for any sign of Fleur. He hovered between the tiny blonde girl that almost had to be Fleur's hostage, and Ron. Even after waiting several minutes, there was still no sign of Fleur.

She felt it the moment he made his decision, and was not surprised at all. She knew he would have done the same thing for anyone. He silently cast the severing charm that freed both Ron and the little girl, grabbed one in each arm, and started swimming toward the far bank.

The merpeople were not happy. They were not happy at all. She saw through him as a swarm of merpeople surged up from the village to attack him for daring to take another's hostage. Harry grabbed Ron with his legs in order to free up his wand, and mentally screamed out the dragon warding charm. He mouthed it as well, though only bubbles emerged.

The spell had a strange effect under water. The mechanics of the spell was to compress the air into a solid wall of force. Harry did not immediately understand why he felt drained until he saw what it did to water.

When subjected to sufficient pressure, water condenses into a solid just as if it were frozen. Though neither Harry nor any wizard alive would know what to classify it, Harry unintentionally created a wall of metastable ice that would in the next decade be classified by physicists as _ice xii._

The merpeople flashed red with alarm as the water around them coalesced into a massive wall of crystal ice that did not float because it was denser than normal ice. The wall then pushed at them, still following the mechanics of the spell.

Harry sagged in exhaustion, stunned both by the magic and the effect. Still, the effect was sufficient to scare the merpeople off without harming a single one of them. Summoning what strength he had left, he hoisted Ron up with one hand, clutched the adorable little French girl with the other, and kicked as hard as his shaking legs would take him.

On the shore, Ginny sagged suddenly against Luna, who caught her in alarm. "Are you quite all right?"

"Harry cast a really hard spell," she said. "I'm a little tired."

"I see," Luna said. "The flumdingers help you share your magic, but I suspect he pulled too much."

"It's okay," Ginny said with a smile. "I'll be all right. He's coming up now." She straightened from Luna's worried embrace and took two steps toward the quay where the champions were gathered before her legs wobbled and collapsed.

Other students backed away in confusion and concern, while Luna knelt beside her. A moment later, McGonagall arrived. "Mrs. Potter?" she asked.

"Sorry, just a little tired," Ginny said. "Harry cast the _Ulciscor_ charm under water. It was really weird and took a lot more magic than normal, that's all."

McGonagall looked over her shoulder where Harry breached the surface with not just Ron, but the French champion's hostage as well. The Delacour girl was sobbing and crying as she reached down and plucked the child from the water. Diggory and Dumbledore helped Ron up, and then the three of them had to lift an exhausted Harry from the lake.

"Well, no doubt the two of you need to rest," McGonagall said.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed. With Luna and her head of house's help, she regained her feet and the three of them made their way to the tent where the champions and hostages were undergoing examinations.

When she arrived, Ginny saw Fleur Delacour hugging a blushing Harry and thanking him in broken English for saving her little sister. Nearby, Hermione and Ron were blushing as well while Victor Krum looked on with a bemused expression.

The moment Ginny entered the tent he turned to her and smiled. _Veela are cute and all, but Merlin they can cry a lot,_ he thought at her. She could both hear and feel his exhaustion, both physical and magical, and felt an echo of it in her as well.

_I'm about to pass out_, she said, recognizing the signs.

"Yeah," Harry said aloud. He assured Fleur he was glad to help, stood on visibly shaking legs, and started walking toward Ginny. Ginny walked toward him, leaving Luna and McGonagall behind, until the two came together in a tight embrace.

Their eyes rolled back into their heads, and without a further word, the two fainted dead away in front of the champions, hostages, and school heads.

"Oh dear," Pomfrey said. "Well, least they're near a bed this time."


	31. Crocodile Tears

Chap 30 Review Responses are in the Bonds of Blood forum. Thank you all very much for pushing this fic past 2000 reviews!

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**Chapter Thirty-One: Crocodile Tears**

_**The Boy Who Loved **_

_By Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent to the Daily Prophet_

_It came as a shock to many when, two summers ago, Sirius Black was found innocent of the crimes he was accused of. This in itself was surprising, but what was truly shocking were the facts related to Sirius Black's godson, and the then twelve-year-old boy's relationship with Ginevra Weasley, the pure-blood daughter of Arthur Weasley, the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and father of seven children including young Ginny._

_It was revealed for reasons unknown that young Harry Potter and even younger Miss Weasley were magically joined in a wedding bond late in Harry's second year of Hogwarts, and Mr. Weasley confirmed the marriage late that summer right before Black's trial. _

_In the two years that followed, this reporter has discovered that the two children have slept together as man and wife and have even engaged in activity suited to much older couples. They have done so with the active cooperation of Albus Dumbledore, the eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _

_Now, after an extensive, almost year-long investigation, this reporter has uncovered the truth, and it is more alarming and profound than any of us could imagine. _

_Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley are soul-bound! Yes, dear readers, Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley have conjoined souls._

_This reporter personally observed Miss Weasley grow faint because of a spell Mr. Potter performed during the Second Task of the TriWizard Tournament, in which Mr. Potter was entered as a contestant by Barty Courch Jr, who with his father's help had somehow escaped Azkaban. When she and Mr. Potter united, the two immediately passed out in each other's arms._

_After speaking with classmates, this reporter learned that they have done so before. "Yeah, they passed out a lot during third year," said classmate and fellow fourth year Draco Malfoy. _

_This reporter spoke to a representative of the Department of Mysteries on how such a bond could be formed. The spokesman refused to discuss specifics of the Potter case, but said generally true soul bonds could only be formed with the manipulation of soul energy, which is why despite popular literature, true soul bonds do not occur naturally and are usually the case of the blackest of dark magical curses._

_So how could a twelve-year-old boy become soul-bound with an eleven year old girl? What sinister force could manipulate the very soul of the Boy Who Lived to ensure he was forever bound and linked to the child of one of Albus Dumbledore's strongest supporters?_

_Even more frightening, what should happen to the Boy Who Lived if any harm were to befall his bond-mate?_

_The readers eagerly away the answers to these important questions, even while we wonder just what the Headmaster of Hogwarts is up to._

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Harry and Ginny had never seen Dumbledore mad. He was concerned when Harry's name appeared from the goblet, but they had never seen the venerable old wizard mad. Not until the day after Rita Skeeter's article came out.

They didn't realize at first what was happening when they came down to a late breakfast. They did not immediately understand why, the moment they stepped into the Great Hall, everyone fell silent and stared at them. And at the faculty table, Dumbledore was actually glowering. All conversation stopped, and for a brief moment Harry wondered if they were about to be attacked.

They saw Professor McGonagall already striding toward them. "What's going on?" Ginny asked.

"The Daily Prophet has announced your soul bond," McGonagall said quietly. "And made some very irresponsible innuendo regarding how it occurred. Come along."

The two followed their head of house to the Gryffindor table where Ron and Hermione were saving them a seat. A copy of the Prophet awaited them. The two read the article with increasing frustration.

Harry looked up, stunned, and happened to see Malfoy across the hall grinning at him.

"May I have your attention," Dumbledore said. His voice boomed across the hall, leaving the students no choice but to look at him.

"While I believe the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Potter is a personal one, the article in this morning's paper is sufficiently appalling that I must make comment on it. First, one hundred and fifty points from Slytherin for Mr. Malfoy's speaking to a reporter without authorization. No student is to speak with any reporter without having a faculty member there. Additionally, any reporter that approaches a student is in violation of this school's administrative rules and should either be sent to me, or forcibly removed from the premises."

Draco was no longer grinning.

"Second…Mr. and Mrs. Potter do indeed share a soul bond, and it did not form naturally. During her first year, Mrs. Potter was attacked by a dark artifact and came perilously close to losing both her life and her soul. Mr. Potter saved her life, and in the effort to save her soul, gave freely of his own. This act resulted in a bonding of their souls. The only sinister thing involved was the artifact that harmed Mrs. Potter. The bond itself resulted from bravery and selflessness the likes of which this school has never seen. I will be personally responding to this article, but for now I wish to assure everyone here that nothing sinister exists within their relationship."

He nodded once, and added, "I now expect this issue to be closed. Mr. and Mrs. Potter deserve our respect and the same privacy any of you would wish for. Good day."

"I don't believe I have ever seen him take points away from Slytherin," Hermione said.

"Snape's head is about to pop," Ron added with open glee.

Indeed, Harry and Ginny could both see Snape's face burning red with rage. The rage was not directed at Malfoy, though. It was directed very obviously at an unconcerned Dumbledore.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Ragnok leaned back in his throne-like chair behind his desk and formed a steeple with his long, four-jointed fingers. "Gringotts has never before allowed a family vault to be searched. While we recognize the reasons for your request, it would place us in a difficult position."

Across from him sat Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, Auror Captain Sirius Black, and Dirk Creswell, head of the Goblin Liaison Office. Amelia nodded even as she looked down at a parchment. "That is understandable, Director," Cresswell said. His voice was hoarse with years of speaking Gobbledegook. "The sanctity of Gringotts vaults is legend throughout the world. Instead, let me ask this—what happens to a vault when a family line ends?"

"The contents of the vault escheat after ten years. The contents are liquidated and forty percent is paid in a fee to the ministry, then rest reverts back to Gringotts," Ragnok explained.

Next to Cresswell, Amelia nodded as she obviously expecting this answer. With deliberate caution and utter silence, she leaned forward and placed the parchment on the Goblin bank director's desk. "What is this?" the Goblin asked.

"A law that was recently passed by the Wizengamot and signed by the Minister for Magic," Cresswell said. Though Amelia was the head of the DMLE, she was also a woman. The Goblin nobility had strong taboos against communicating directly with human females, seeing as the last three wars were started by goblins infatuated with witches.

The goblin's eyes rose. "This is…interesting. There is the risk of liability here. Though it states that should the last of a family line be formally convicted for a crime with a sentence to Azkaban for life, that person shall be treated as if they are deceased for the purpose of vault management, it also states that in the event of a later declaration of innocence, the value of the vault must be restored."

"True, there is a low risk of liability," Cresswell said. "That clause was included after the lesson learned from Captain Black here. Be that as it may, if you receive a formal judgment of conviction and life imprisonment, you may proceed as if that person is deceased. If the person represents the end of a family, then you can act accordingly. Notice that the law was purposely made retroactive to ten years prior."

The goblin's thick right brow rose half an inch over his left. "All this to get a hold of the contents of a few vaults?"

"It is very important," Cresswell said. "This law would affect the Lestrange, Rosier and Rookwood vaults."

"All of whom were among the Dark Lord's most fervent supporters."

"An interesting coincidence to be sure," Black said with a wry smile. "But the more important thing to consider, Director, is that this law essentially authorizes you to liquidate and keep sixty percent of the assets from three very large, very old vaults. Surely that is to your benefit as well?"

"Indeed it is," Ragnok said. "Very well, Gringotts will agree to abide by the terms of this statute. Other families will be affected as well. The gold will be divided immediately. As per our treaty with the Ministry, the Department of Mysteries will be allowed to inventory the non-monetary contents with the first right of purchase."

"That is excellent news, Director," Cresswell said. He spoke a parting phrase in the grunting, guttural language of the goblins before bowing deeply. Amelia and Sirius, following his lead, bowed as well.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Harry and Ginny sat pouring over a potions essay in April when three third-year girls suddenly joined them. Both looked up in surprise to see Ginny's former roommates all staring intently at her.

Celestina was the first to break away her gaze from Ginny and look instead at Harry. "So you finally, truly have him," she said.

"It's so romantic," Serena Bloom said. "What's it like having a soul-bond?"

"Hurts like hell," Harry muttered.

It was not the answer the three girls were expecting. They looked at Ginny for confirmation. "It does hurt a lot," Ginny confirmed. "When we don't touch enough, it gets really bad. At first it was awful all the time. It's mostly better now."

The three girls looked worried. "Mostly?"

"Mostly," Harry said firmly. Then his features softened. "Why don't you girls go talk. Ginny, I'll drag Hermione in for the essay. She's already done with hers and she knows what that bit with the monksroot is about."

"Okay, thanks." She stood without gathering her books and turned to the girls. "Harry's right, it's been too long since I've spent time with you girls. I'm sorry. What do we want to do?"

"Harry didn't say that," Mary Weston said.

"Yeah, he did. Just real quietly," Ginny assured her.

Harry watched as the four girls made their way out of the library before he started putting their books up. Hermione was likely holding study court in the common room for Neville, Ron and Dean. He'd join in.

"Potter," a voice said with a low drawl.

Harry turned and found himself looking into the pale blue eyes of the pale-faced Prince of Slytherin. "Malfoy," he said cautiously.

"Soul bound, huh?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Thanks to your father."

Malfoy smirked—it was not a friendly expression. Still, his words belied the expression. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry for what?"

"For what he did." The smirk died a little. "We're not nice people, Potter. I don't pretend to be. Do you know I've never been hugged by either of my parents? It's simply not done among the high-born purebloods. As much as I loathe them, I do admire the Weasleys for that if nothing else."

Harry tried to read Malfoy's aura, but it was confusing. He saw dark deeds shrouded behind shady memories, coupled with shame, fear and embarrassment. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I…I found out something, Potter. About the…the Dark Lord. He's going to return to a body. He's going to do it really soon. And I'm…" He stopped talking and turned away. Harry watched in confusion as his mortal enemy seemed to wipe something from his eyes.

He turned around and his eyes were red and puffy. "I've…I've learned what he's going to do. And it involves my little sister."

"You don't have a sister!"

"She's a squib," Draco said softly. "We don't talk about her outside the family. But he's going to kill her. He's going to cut her throat, hang her up like an animal and bleed her dry. My little sister. Mum had her life planned—she's attending a private school for squibs in France that teaches them how to live as muggles, and when she's of age she'll be set free there with a huge account to live her life. No one would know except us. My little sister."

His chest hitched. "Potter, I can't let her die. I don't know what to do; who to go to. Mother and Father are both too terrified to defy the Dark Lord. They're just going to hand her over. She's only eight."

"Why not go to Dumbledore, then?"

"I can't!" Draco said, eye wide in terror at even the thought. "I can't do that! The Dark Lord can see our thoughts. I see you every day, so he would not be surprised by your face. But me meeting with Dumbledore alone? He'd crucio me until I couldn't scream any more. But I can't let Astella die. Not like that. Please, Potter. Do this for me and I swear by Merlin I'll never bother you or your friends again. Ever."

_Ginny, are you listening?_

_Every word. What do you think?_

_I can't get a good read on his aura, except to know he really is scared. Do you think he's telling the truth?_

_Most pureblood families do have squibs occasionally. We have a squib cousin ourselves. For the Malfoys though, that would be an embarrassment. They really would want to keep something like that secret. But I don't really trust him, Harry._

_So, think we should at least ask to meet with the sister?_

_Yeah. I'll stay with you._

Malfoy meanwhile was staring at Harry with a desperate expression. "Okay, Malfoy," Harry said. "We don't really trust you, but we're willing to meet with your sister."

"Then come on! She's on the edge of the wards," Draco said urgently.

Harry followed the Slytherin through the castle, growing more and more concerned. The day outside was a beautiful early spring day with snow still clinging to the shadows of the castle under a brilliant blue sky.

Most students were still in class so no one watched as they moved to the edge of the forbidden forest and the wardline of the castle.

They paused at the edge of the trees. "Astella?" Draco called. "Come out now, please. Harry's here."

Harry watched as a thin waif of a girl stepped out from behind a nearby tree. She was as pale and blonde as Draco, and wore a finely tailored dress of aquamarine acromantula silk. However, she was barefoot and her feet bore signs of the abuse of long walks over rough ground.

She stood shivering and weeping.

"Astella, please come," Draco said with a gentleness Harry had never before seen or heard in the Slytherin.

The obviously terrified girl shook her head but did not speak.

"It's okay," Harry said. "I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Harry Potter. I'm going to try helping you. Are you hungry?"

The girl's eyes flicked to Draco before returning to Harry's face. She nodded without speaking.

"Do you want to go back to the castle to get something to eat?"

She looked confused for a moment and flicked her eyes past the two boys at the castle. The confusion lingered, but still she said nothing. Harry took another cautious step forward and held out his hand. "Don't worry, sweetie. I won't hurt you. I promise I'll protect you."

The girl gave an almost animal moan. As she opened her mouth, Harry spotted a strange, bloody stump. His brain did not register what his eyes could see so clearly. The child's tongue had been cut out.

Harry blinked and straightened in confusion as she rushed forward, moaning and weeping. Thin arms wrapped around his waist, and through her thin dress he could feel the outline of her ribs.

He turned around in confusion to see Malfoy smirking. "As if the Malfoys would ever produce a squib. Goodbye, Potter. I'll take care of your little wife, don't worry."

Before Harry could ask what was happening, he felt the sickening tug of a port-key. A moment later, he was gone. Malfoy put his hands in his pocket and started walking back toward the castle whistling a jaunty, satisfied tune.

He didn't get far before he found his way blocked by four girls. "Where is he?" Ginny screamed. "Where is he…" She stopped talking and staggered as if struck.

"He's gone, Weasley," Draco smiled. "Or should I call you Potter? And soon enough, you will be too."

Her eyes flashed with rage, an anger so intense it radiated off her in heat. She whipped her wand in place and screamed, "_Vespertilio ēmunctĭo_!"

With a negligent flick of his wand, Draco summoned a shield. It was the last act of arrogance the Prince of Slytherin would ever perform.

The massively overpowered bat-bogey hex pierced the shield as if it were paper and slammed into Draco's face. He managed a scream as the whole front of his face exploded in mucus transfigured into a vicious black bat. He fell back, twitching as more transfigured creatures, each with a two-foot wingspan, continued to crawl out of what had once been his sinus cavities.

"Oh Merlin," Celestina whispered in horror. "Ginny, what did you… Ginny?"

Ginny had paled. "It's him," she whispered. "It's the Dark Lord! We've got to get…" She screamed. The other girls looked on in horror as her right forearm suddenly split open and began bleeding profusely.

"Mary, go get a professor!" Celestina said. She and Serena caught Ginny as the girl collapsed screaming and together started carrying her toward the castle.

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Yes. Yes I did just leave it there. Why? Because I am evil. Bwahahahaha.

And also it was a natural chapter break. Thanks for reading!


	32. On A Beautiful Day

Author's Note at the end:

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**Chapter Thirty-Two: On A Beautiful Day**

The little girl screamed into Harry's robe. It was an inarticulate scream of terror that seemed to perfectly fit the situation as the two of them stumbled to the ground.

The beautiful sky overhead seemed strangely out of place as Harry looked over the girl's head at the grim, dreary graveyard. In the center of the yard he saw a massive black cauldron bubbling over a well-maintained, sparkling magical fire. Little wisps of smoke rose into the air. In the background, he saw a dilapidated country manor with a copse of trees nearby.

"It's okay," Harry said as he held the terrified girl. "I'll protect you." His brain started to catch up as he realized why she had looked so confused when he mentioned the castle. She was a muggle, just an innocent victim. She never actually saw the castle, just the ruins that all muggles saw.

She looked up at him with a tear stained face, terrified and desperate and hoping that he could keep his word.

He could not.

"_Accio_ muggle!"

Her eyes widened a moment before she was ripped from Harry's arms. He watched, paralyzed by shock, as the child flew backward across the graveyard straight into the point of a gleaming silver knife.

"No!" Harry screamed.

The child's mouth opened in shock. She looked down to see of the cruelly curved tip of the knife protruding from her chest. She looked back up at Harry, her eyes furrowing as if to make sure he understood that he had promised to protect her, and failed.

Harry fell to his knees as the girl slid off the knife. She fell in a tangle of limbs to the ground and did not move. Harry looked up from the bloody point of the knife and saw a familiar smirk.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," Lucius Malfoy said with his trademark sneer. "You, my young friend, are in a great deal of trouble."

"Secure him," a weak, wheezing voice said from somewhere behind Malfoy.

Harry leaned over and saw the hated figure of Peter Pettigrew cradling what at first looked like a baby. Then he saw a scaled arm and realized it was more like Rosemary's Baby than a human child. The sibilant voice came from the tiny figure.

_Harry, run!_

Ginny's frantic warning burned through his shock and despair. He jumped to his feet and started to run as fast as he could.

He made it four steps before the ground in front of him exploded and sent him tumbling back into the graveyard. He slammed into a gravestone and could not move at first as pain burned through his body.

Before the pain subsided, he felt himself magically lifted and bound to a statue of an angel. His wand fell to the ground where Lucius picked it up and placed it in the pockets of his robes. He spun about. "Begin, Wormtail!"

Pettigrew cringed but did as he was told. Harry watched as the despicable man lifted a piece of a thighbone over the cauldron. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son."

He then removed a large silver knife, identical to Malfoy's, other than being clean. The man whimpered as he said, "Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master."

Harry tried not to gag as Pettigrew sliced down with the razor-sharp knife. His hand fell away with a wet _snick_ and fell into the pot.

Pettigrew screamed in pain as his stump continued to bleed.

"For shame, Wormtail," Lucius sneered, obviously amused at the other man's pain. "_Oυμπίεση_," he said in Greek with a flick of his wand.

The stump seemed to crust over and stopped bleeding immediately. Pettigrew whimpered but at least was no longer crying. "Get on with it," Malfoy snapped.

Harry watched, his eyes burning into the hated little man, as Pettigrew approached him. The man's rheumy eyes seemed almost to be pleading for forgiveness even as his aura flickered wildly with self-loathing a thousand times worse than Snape.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken…" he sliced Harry's right forearm wickedly. Harry gasped in pain but did not cry out. "…you will resurrect your foe."

He flicked the blood into the cauldron.

The two men stepped back as the cauldron started the boil and bubble. Harry sagged against the rope, his eyes pulled from the viscous liquid to the crumpled blonde ragdoll on the edge of the cemetery. He had an intense desire—even a need—to know what the girl's name was; who her parent's were. Were the parents even alive?

He didn't even realize he was crying.

Then an image came to him; an image of Draco Malfoy's face exploding. He could feel Ginny's terror and fear. He knew somehow that her arm was bleeding just like his. But all he could see was Draco's shattered face and the way his limbs twitched.

"Hey Lucius," he said, feeling a need to hurt the man who made him break his promise to the little girl. "Where's Draco?"

"I would think you know, Potter," Lucius sneered back, quite happy. "He's at the castle now, probably caring for your soon to be grieving widow."

"No, Lucius. He's laying on the edge of the forest without a face. He just stopped twitching." Harry forced a smile through his tears, knowing he was going to die this day. "Ginny killed him, you bastard. She blew his face off with a bat-bogey hex. Your son is dead."

"You're lying, Potter," Malfoy snarled. He had his wand out and pointed at Harry. "And I'll have your life's blood for it!"

"He is mine, Lucius," came a new voice.

Both Harry and Malfoy turned to see a figure emerging from the cauldron. Malfoy immediately knelt down to the figure, but Harry just stared in fascinated horror.

It should have been a figure crouched in shadow like a 1930s horror movie. Pale, snake-like with red reptilian eyes. But it was the middle of a beautiful early spring day and Harry could see the horror clearly.

Voldemort stood naked before them all with his arms out to either side, accepting a shimmering black robe from the one-handed Pettigrew. Harry stared in sickened fascination at this caricature of a man. If anything, he looked like a mannequin. He had the limbs and digits of a man, but nothing else.

He saw the vision for only a moment before Voldemort's figure disappeared under the robe. The Dark Lord stepped away from the fire and looked down at Lucius. "You have done well, my old friend."

"It was my greatest honor that I could, my Lord. Thank you for allowing me to assist."

"You've done well enough I may even forgive you for betraying me all those years."

Lucius looked up, wide-eyed. "Never, lord! Never would I betray you. The mask I wore is this face, so that I could continue to work your will. Fudge is ours! I own him outright, and will feed him to your whim. I have laid the ministry at your feet!"

"We shall see," Voldemort said. "Wormtail, your arm."

Pettigrew offered up the stump. "Your other arm."

With another whimper Pettigrew offered his other arm. Voldemort placed a thumb against the Dark Mark. Pettigrew cried out in pain for a moment until the touch stopped. "You have served me well, Wormtail," he said. "Such service is to be rewarded."

Both Harry and Pettigrew stared in fascination as a silver hand grew out of the stump, as facile as his lost original. "Never let it be said that Lord Voldemort is not merciful."

Those red eyes turned to Harry. "Is that not so, Harry Potter? Did I not show mercy to your filthy half-blood mother? I gave her the possibility of life, but she tossed it aside."

"And you lost your body for her sacrifice," Harry snapped back.

"Yes," Voldemort said without heat. He walked toward Harry calmly, as if discussing the beautiful day around them. "In time I realized the genius and power of it. I understood why Snape begged so for her life when he told me the prophecy. I realize now that she sacrificed the whole of her magic to create a living blood ward of your skin. Millions of mothers have died for their children over the eons, Harry Potter, but none had the power, will and expertise that your mother had. Her protection assured I could not touch you."

With a sudden burst of motion Voldemort surged forward and pressed his thumb against Harry's scar. Harry screamed as unbelievable agony ripped its way through his body, worst than anything he had ever felt before.

When at last the pain ended and he sobbed, desperately trying to catch his breath, Voldemort whispered into his ear, "Her sacrifice was in vain. You are going to die this day, Harry Potter. The world will know that I am immortal, and will know what becomes of all those who defy me."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

They had reached the Hospital Wing when Ginny released a blood-curdling scream and clutched at her forehead. The other girls cried out in fear and anguish as their friend collapsed to the floor.

"My goodness, what is happening?" Pomfrey said as she rushed from her office. A moment later Dumbledore arrived with Mary Weston, Minerva McGonagall and Sirius Black on his heels.

Ginny gasped and sat up as the pain went away. All were startled and even terrified to see a lightning bolt-shaped scar bleeding on her forehead. Dumbledore rushed around her and knelt down before her. "Ginny, what is happening?"

"Voldemort has Harry!" she wailed. "Malfoy tricked him with a portkey and Voldemort has him! He has a body now, Professor. Voldemort has a body and he's going to kill my Harry. Harry!"

Sirius leaned down, and to the shock of everyone there, slapped Ginny. It was not a crushing blow, but it was a sharp enough to knock the girl out of her state. "Ginny!" Sirius said. "You've got to tell us where he is. Where is Harry?"

"He's. in a graveyard! There's a manor nearby. Snow on the ground in the shadows. Bone of the father. Someplace where Voldemort's father was buried. Please, we've got to help him."

"We're not doing anything," Sirius said. "The adults are."

"No, I've got to help him! I've got to…"

Dumbledore petrified her. She straightened like a board and fell back into her stunned friends' arms.

"Why not stun her?" Sirius asked.

"Because that would knock Harry out as well, and I daresay he needs his wits about him," Dumbledore said. "I believe I know where he is, but we're going to need help. Minerva, please stay here with Poppy and take care of Mrs. Potter. Sirius, we need the entire DMLE if we have any hope of saving Harry. Hurry, man!"

Sirius ran like a man half his age.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

On the edge of the forest, attracted by the smell of blood, a spider a foot wide in the thorax clambered down the trunk of a tree toward the body.

Magic, being the wonderful power it was, had somehow kept Draco Malfoy alive despite the devastation to his face. Though his lower sinus cavities were blown out, he could still breath through his mouth and his brain was undamaged. His face was bleeding but not as bad as if a major artery had been hit. In fact, he had every chance of making a full recovery with only minimal scarring given Pomfrey's skill, save for the fact he would be blind unless he wore magical eyes like Moody's. Though his shield had not stopped the spell, it blunted Ginny's magic enough to keep his head from exploding outright like with the werewolves two summers before.

He sensed the spider crawling on his weak, shocked body and made a gurgling sound in agony as he came to. This did not scare off the juvenile acromantula; it made it even hungrier. Draco could hear the clicking of its mandibles and feel the weight of it as it climbed further onto his chest. His eyes were destroyed with his sinus cavities, but he could clearly hear a reedy voice whisper "_Hungry_" in broken English.

Draco had time for one gurgling scream before the pincers stabbed deeply into his chest and pumped in venom twice as concentrated as that of an adult acromantula. Draco's magic struggled in vain against the venom, keeping him alive just long enough to feel the spider begin to feed.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The sky became dirty as a bank of clouds rolled in faster than any clouds should have moved. With the clouds came Death Eaters. By pairs they popped into the graveyard, clad in dark robes with silver masks. Without needing to be told they formed a silent, menacing circle around the graveyard.

Voldemort eyed them all angrily. "Do you see?" he snarled at them. "Do any of you still doubt? Do you doubt Lord Voldemort? I told you I was immortal, and now you see the living proof before you. Who here doubts Lord Voldemort?"

"Not I!" came the chorus.

"Are you sure?" Voldemort said. He ran to a nearby figure and ripped off the mask to show a grizzled, ugly man. "McNair, where were you when the true faithful loudly proclaimed my name in Azkaban?"

"Doing your will in the Ministry, Lord!" the ugly man said.

"And you, Goyle?"

"I served Malfoy, Lord, in your name!" the bear-like man groveled.

"So many, living comfortably while I subsisted as a shadow for so many years," Voldemort snarled. "Only Wormtail had the loyalty to seek me out. Barty Crouch Jr. served me loyally, but was discovered and now waits with his brethren for me in Azkaban. My loyal Bella and her men are there, calling my name proudly. And yet here all of you stand, untouched."

None dared speak, nor did any move to protest as Voldemort pointed his yew wand at one of the figures and shouted, "_Crucio!"_

The figure crumpled to the ground, screaming. A second and third soon joined him at random, until Voldemort seemed to tire of the game. "None can defeat me!" he cried. "I am Lord Voldemort. I am forever. I am more powerful even than death itself! No one here will ever doubt again, will they?"

"Never, lord!" came the hasty cries.

Voldemort turned his red eyes back to Harry. "Lucius, give the boy his wand."

"Lord?"

"We are going to duel, Lucius. It is only proper, would you not say?"

"Yes, Lord." Malfoy jumped to his feet and rushed to Potter. "I will enjoy watching you die, Potter," he said as he handed Harry his wand and cut him loose.

Harry did not hesitate a moment. "_Bombarda!" _he shouted, pouring every ounce of magic and rage into his spell. Only he did not aim it as Voldemort. He aimed it at the man who had killed the innocent little girl.

Lucius was not expecting the attack, but even so he still managed to summon a shield that would have protected him against any mundane spell. But just like his son, the Malfoy arrogance failed just as his magic did.

Harry's soul-bonded power shredded the shield. A split second later the explosive spell struck Malfoy's chest. The patriarch did not even have time to scream as his ribcage exploded, showering Harry, the angel and nearby Death Eaters with bloody gore. The impact of the spell sent the dead man's body flying through the air until slammed boneless against a mausoleum and flopped back to the ground.

Voldemort watched the entire exchange with open glee. "How wonderful!" he declared. "An opponent with spirit! But we must follow the forms, Harry. It is bad form to attack before the duel has begun, even if it is someone else you attack. But never fear, I shall teach you. _Crucio_."

The pain was just as intense as what Harry felt when Voldemort touched his scar. He fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Hundreds of miles away, in a bed, Ginny screamed and convulsed.

"Merlin, what's happening?" McGonagall said.

By that time, Ron, Hermione and the twins had joined to sit vigil over Ginny. Pomfrey ran her wand over the girl and cried out in alarm. "She's suffering the _cruciatus _curse!"

Hermione sobbed and covered her mouth with her hands, even while saying, "Harry!"

In the graveyard, Harry sobbed as the spell passed.

"Corporal punishment is the only effective way of disciplining a child, wouldn't you agree, Potter? Now, I told you I would teach you the proper forms. Stand up, and bow."

Harry stood on shaking legs, but did not bow. "No," the Gryffindor growled.

"Come now, Harry. The forms must be obeyed. _Imperio!"_

A feeling of euphoria fell over Harry. The pain of the curse fell away, as did the crushing guilt over the little girl. He was just Harry. _Bow_, a sibilant voice whispered.

But another corner of his mind heard something else—another voice crying his name.

"No," Harry said aloud.

Voldemort blinked in surprise. "Bow, Harry!"

The sense of euphoria became stronger, but then again so did the voice calling for him. _I love you, Harry!_

"No," Harry said again.

"A pity," Voldemort said. "I so do love formal duels. I suppose I shall just have to kill you, then. _Avada kedavra!_"

Harry could not move. His muscles were cramped from the pain curse. So he stood there, waiting for his death. It was quite literally an angel who saved him. In fact, it was the same angel that he was tied to just minutes before. The statue of the angel danced into the path of the killing curse.

The magic destroyed it, rendering it into rubble. The blast of the statuary slammed into Harry's face and chest, throwing him violently back. He looked up from his prone position and saw the hem of Dumbledore's robes just inches away.

"Hello, Tom," the old professor said. "You are not looking yourself today. Are you feeling quite well?"

Voldemort took a step back, snarling. Harry, fighting for strength, pushed himself into a sitting position just as Sirius's arms draped around his shoulders. He looked at his godfather in relief even as he noticed a ring of aurors surrounding the smaller ring of Death Eaters.

"It stops here, Tom," Dumbledore said.

"For one of us, anyway," Voldemort said.

Sirius meanwhile began dragging Harry back away from Voldemort. The air came alight with spells as the two sides engaged in open battle. "Sirius?" Harry whispered, too stunned to have his godfather with him.

"I'm here, pup, just hang on," Sirius said.

"I think I killed Malfoy's dad."

"Good," Sirius snapped.

"Everything hurts," Harry gasped. "I need Ginny."

"I know, lad. Hang on tight and we'll get you to her.'

"Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Sirius himself sobbed a little. "Love you too, cub. And I'm going to take care of you, just like I promised. Me and Rosie, we're going to take good care of you."

The sound of angry or pained screams rent the air as the first casualties fell. Harry found he didn't care about the battle. "The little girl," he said. "Draco turned a little girl into a portkey, and his dad murdered her. I promised I'd take care of her. Where is she?"

He wasn't even aware of struggling against Sirius's grip. He just knew he had to reach the little girl.

It all came grinding to a halt. The screams and curses, the spells and magic; all of it ground to a halt before one _Sonorous_-enhanced voice. "Lay down your wands or the minister dies!"

He finally ripped his attention away from the girl, and along with Sirius saw the impossible. Somehow Minister Fudge himself had bumbled right into the middle of the battle, and now Voldemort had his pale arm around the ineffectual man's neck. All the auror's had their wands up, nervously watching as the enemy threatened the minister.

All, save Dumbledore. "Tom, you know I can't let you leave here alive," the old wizard said.

"If you try to stop me, your minister will die!" Voldemort roared. "Drop the anti-apparition wards now! Drop them, or Fudge dies!"

"Why would you wish to kill someone you already control?" Dumbledore asked, to the shock of half the aurors there.

"Do it, Dumbledore!"

Nearby, Amelia Bones said, "We'll drop the wards."

"Wise, Amelia," Voldemort said, knowing her as well as most wizards. As he spoke, his red eyes passed by Harry and Sirius.

The wards dropped, and the surviving Death Eaters disappeared with a series of pops. Voldemort remained where he stood with his arm around Fudge's neck. "I have only one more thing to say to you, Dumbledore! _Expulso!"_

Just as Harry's _bombarda_ spell caused Malfoy's chest to explode, so too did Voldemort's spell to Fudge. The bumbling Minister of Magic could not even make a sound as his heart and lungs were explosively ejected from his torso directly at Dumbledore. Immediately every auror there cast a spell, except that Voldemort had disappeared.

He reappeared directly behind Harry and Sirius. In his exhaustion-numbed state, Harry spun slowly saw the Dark Lord's wand glowing green as he clearly shouted, "_Avada kedavra!"_

Harry responded instinctually. Not to save himself, but to save the man he had come to love like a father. His magic poured out in a concentric dome that tossed Sirius away with ease.

As powerful as the magic was, it could not stop death. Voldemort's green killing curse pierced the magical dome and struck Harry directly in the chest. The young man flew backward, flipping twice as he did so, before he landed at the stunned Dumbledore's feet.

"So much for your prophecy!" Voldemort howled in glee before he disappeared with an ear-shattering pop.

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**Author's Notes**: If you carefully read the first three chapters or so, you may have an idea of what is to come. Remember that this story is not done. So please wait until after next chapter before coming after me with the torches and pitchforks. We have a minimum of 16-17 chapters to go.


	33. The Bonds of Blood

No, you're not delusional. I really am posting a second chapter in as many days. I had as many reviews in a day for my last chapter as I normally get over a whole week. And so I did some scrambling, will put Last Jedi on hold for a week, and present you the next chapter of Bonds of Blood with a deep and profound thank you for reading and reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Bonds of Blood **

Hagrid lumbered along the line of the Forbidden Forest. He did not know what was happening in the castle and beyond. He was teaching second years about flobberworms when Harry was abducted. When class was over, he and Fang took their normal walk around the grounds to make sure all was in order.

It was Fang's bark that alerted him to something wrong. Fang was not a vocal dog—barking took energy, and Fang believed in conserving energy. But he was well trained enough to give warning of something out of the ordinary. So Hagrid looked up and spotted the dark splotch on the grass just on the line of the wards.

He sped up, lumbering over the grass as he did so, until he saw with increasing alarm that the figure was actually a student in school robes. As he came closer, he saw the green trim and badge of Slytherin, and a shock of blond hair. He also saw a juvenile acromantula standing on the boy's chest on the far side of the ward, greedily sucking up his innards.

"What're ya doing, you little rascal!" Hagrid shouted.

The acromantula knew of the giant human. Father had warned all of them to treat him with respect and caution. Their venom had little effect on him, and his skin was as hard to pierce as that of a true giant.

So instead of fighting over his most excellent meal, the acromantula hopped off and fled into the forest, where it would soon molt, having grown significantly because of Draco's liquefied internal organs.

Hagrid reached the boy's side and saw that he was most certainly dead, and second, that Ginny Weasley had been at him with the explosive bat-bogey hex old Sirius had mentioned one night at the Hogs Head.

"Serves you right," Hagrid muttered, even as he grabbed the body to take him to the castle. Arrogant prat or not, Malfoy was still a student.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Hermione tried to stop crying. She stood nestled in the crook of Ron's arm while the two of them and the twins kept vigil over Ginny. The younger girl writhed on the bed with her eyes closed, occasionally crying out in pain or alarm.

Hermione looked up at the sound of loud voices and saw Molly Weasley enter the hospital wing at a dead run. The woman had a frantic, terrified expression. Mr. Weasley followed a few moments later, obviously left far behind by his wife.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley wailed as she dropped to her knees next to the bed. The twins moved out of her way without any fuss, knowing exactly where she would be going. She gathered her daughter in her arms, and in so doing all of them gasped when Ginny opened her eyes. They were green. The exact same shade as Harry's.

"Ginny?" Molly whispered.

Suddenly Ginny exploded. There was no other explanation—her body erupted in sickly green magic that threw everyone back several feet. Mrs. Weasley could easily have broken her neck if not for the twins, who used Quidditch-borne reflexes and caught her in mid-air before all three tumbled in a heap to the floor.

Hermione had the fortune of a cushion in the form of Ron Weasley, who was too stunned to say anything about the young witch laying on him. However, her own terror caught up and she spun off to see Ginny lying in the remains of a charred and blackened bed.

She was not moving, and her now bright green eyes stared at the ceiling without seeing. "Ginny!" Hermione screamed. She jumped to her feet and cross the floor until she knelt beside the girl. "Ginny, wake up!"

She grabbed her friend's hand, but dropped it immediately. By then the others were recovering. Hermione looked up in horror at Pomfrey. "Her hand is cold!"

Pomfrey nearly bowled over a frantic Molly Weasley to reach the girl. Her wand was flying over the body even as her left hand felt at Ginny's forehead. Her expression fell as she placed the tip of her wand on Ginny's chest and said, "_Suscitatus!_"

Ginny's whole body convulsed violently as a spark of blue light passed from the wand to her skin.

Hermione backed up, familiar enough with the process to understand what the spell was doing. Ginny's heart had stopped. "No," she whispered.

"_Suscitatus_!" Pomfrey cried again.

McGonagall was openly weeping, her hands over her mouth. Molly was stammering without noise as Arthur held her. The twins and Ron simply stared as if they could not understand what was happening.

Suddenly Ginny's lips moved. No other part of her moved—her bright green eyes remained staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Her body lay limp and lifeless. But her lips moved, and a wheezing voice that sounded distinctly male said, "No, Ginny. Stay. Live. For me. Live and be happy. I love you."

Hermione couldn't breathe. Pomfrey backed away, her face now a mask of agonizing tears. The bright green color of Ginny's eyes began to bleed away from her irises until only brown the color of hot chocolate remained.

A strange blue nimbus surrounded the girl. Even from several feet away, Hermione could feel the magic of it. It felt warm and loving and familiar. It felt like Harry. "Oh God," Hermione moaned.

The blue light pulsed. Once. Twice.

Ginny gasped. Loudly. The sound broke the silence as the girl arched her back and gasped for a breath, before screaming, "Haaaarrrryyyy!"

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The survivors stood silently around the graveyard. They formed a rough circle, staring at the too-small body of the Boy Who Lived No More.

Sirius could not speak. He took a few stumbling steps before falling to his knees before his godson. Behind him, Amelia Bones subtly wiped her eyes.

"Oh my dear boy," Dumbledore rumbled, swaying on his feet. "What have I done?"

"Minister Fudge is dead," Kingsly Shacklebolt said from a few yards away.

"Madam Bones," Auror Dawlish said, "there are at least four high ranking ministry employees in Death Eater garb, along with Lucius Malfoy."

"So many?" Bones whispered, though she did not look away from Harry.

"What do we do?" Dawlish asked.

"Take half the aurors and lock down the Ministry," Bones said, growing suddenly decisive. "Alert the Department of Mysteries and have all hitwizards placed on high alert. I'll make an address tonight on the wireless. Go now. Kingsly, go with Dawlish."

The tall auror nodded once and disappeared with the first. Amelia walked toward the grieving men. "Albus, Sirius, what are you going to do?"

"Oh Merlin," Sirius said, suddenly breaking through his grief. "What about Ginny?"

"We must go!" Dumbledore said urgently.

"Not without Harry," Sirius said.

"Take him," Bones told them. "We'll handle things here."

Sirius gently took Harry's limp form in his arms, and moments later the two wizards disappeared.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Ginny was literally choking on her tears. The sobs came so hard she was having difficulty breathing. Her body crackled with strange blue sparks that made Pomfrey too concerned to give her a dreamless drought or any other potion.

Hermione herself had buried her head in Ron's chest, unable to stand it any more than her friend.

Harry was dead.

There was no doubt. There could be no other explanation for what they all witnessed. Ginny was affected by Harry's death until he somehow gave up his own spirit to save her. Once again, he sacrificed himself for those he loved. And the pain of the loss was destroying the survivors.

Ron was sniffing too. He was not sobbing aloud—that wasn't Ron. No, he stood holding her while very quickly weeping. She could feel his tears in her hair, but Hermione didn't care.

Harry was dead.

Molly was crooning to Ginny while rocking the inconsolable girl. Arthur simply stood behind her, stricken and helpless to do anything for anyone. The twins stood on either side of him, teary-eyed but ready to catch their father if he happened to fall.

That's how Sirius and Albus found them. They all looked up at once and saw the limp body hanging in Sirius Black's hands. Hermione's knees finally gave out, and if not for Ron's surprisingly strong arms, she would have fallen flat on her face. She didn't even realize the odd keening sound was coming from her.

Sirius' face told them everything, even if the body in his arms did not. He walked stiffly forward. "I was afraid for Ginny," he whispered. His voice sounded shocking—cracked and barely recognizable.

"She was dead for nearly two minutes," Pomfrey said. Her own voice cracked. "Until Harry told her to stay. We heard him from her lips. Her eyes were green, Albus. Just like his."

Unable to hold her composure, the mediwitch fled the wing. Ginny had stopped crying now. She still curled up on her mother's lap, staring at Harry with a strangely blank expression, as if she could not actually see him. The blue sparks seemed to intensify as she stared.

"I cannot even begin to express my grief," Dumledore said, weeping himself. "My dear girl, I am so terribly, terribly sorry."

The keening in the room grew louder. Hermione still wasn't aware she was making the sound as she stared from Harry to Ginny and back again. Suddenly the keening stopped, replaced by a resounding, "No!"

All eyes turned to her as she climbed back to her knees and broke free from Ron's comforting embrace. "No!" she said again. "He can't be dead, not really! Ginny, don't you remember last year? You were kissed by a dementor. He wouldn't let you go. He put your soul back in your body. Don't you remember?"

Ginny made no sign that she heard the other girl—instead she sat on her mother's knee and stared at Harry so intensely it seemed as if the subject of her gaze would wake from her look alone.

"You're soul bound," Hermione continued urgently. "Your souls are one. The body cannot truly die if the soul never leaves it."

Ginny stood from her mother's lap and walked stiffly to the still form of her husband. Her face still looked blank, with the puffiness of her past tears the only indication of her grief. She reached out touched his scar, which for the very first time looked as if it were healing. It no longer bled at all. Her own forehead no longer bore the scar that appeared briefly.

"Ginny?" Sirius whispered.

She looked up at him, and very slowly her lips curled up in a strange, distant smile. "It's okay Sirius," she whispered. "We understand now." Her voice sounded completely different, even multitonal. It sounded as if two people were speaking with one voice.

Sirius sucked in a startled breath. He could see green flowing back into her right iris, while her left remained brown.

He lowered Harry to the ground where Ginny kneeled next to him, gently playing with his black hair. Dumbledore knelt down beside them. "Ginny…" the old wizard began.

"He is not my husband," she said in a daze as she stared down at the body of Harry Potter. "He is not my friend. He is my soul. I am his. We are one, for now and forever." She looked up at the headmaster, one eye brown, one green. "We understand now, Professor. We understand everything. Neither can die while the other yet lives."

Dumbledore paled and collapsed to the floor across the body from the girl. "Ginny, what do you understand?"

She leaned over Harry, her hand on his chest. "That immortality can only truly come through love."

Suddenly they were both gone.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

They appeared in their room—the first true home they had together as a bonded couple. The place where they first kissed. Where they first touched each other as more than just friends.

This is the room where they went from being two children forced into each other's company to being two people bound by love.

Ginny held her hands over Harry's chest and levitated him into their bed. She understood so much, now. When he was on the bed, still unmade from that morning, she turned and looked at the fireplace; a moment later the logs caught fire and gentle warmth began to permeate their living area. She began removing his torn and tattered robes to reveal the thin but no longer starved body beneath them.

She could not stop the grimace as she saw the terrible bruises and cuts that covered him; his face was riddled with cuts from the exploding statute—frankly he was lucky he did not lose his eyes. She moved slowly and deliberately, until he lay complete nude on the bed before her.

When she was done, she stood and slowly pulled off her own robes, followed by her knickers and bra. Her own hurts had been healed by Pomfrey. She looked down at her body, seeing it through his eyes. Though she had always doubted herself and thought she was a plain woman, she knew to Harry she was beautiful. She was his.

He was hers.

When she was as nude as he, she climbed across the bed and laid down next to him. His body felt so cold, but she did not care.

"I realized something today," she said into his ear. "I realized that I could never live without you. That you have become such a part of me that if anything were to ever happen to you, I would die with you. You tried to trick me into believing you were gone."

_It hurt so much, I couldn't stand the thought of you ever going through that again._

The laugh that burst forth was accompanied by a sob. For a long moment she could not continue. She clung to his cold chest and cried. In horror, pain, rage and hope. When at last she caught her breath, she said: "Oh Merlin, Harry. I wanted to die with you when that spell hit."

_You couldn't, Ginny. Neither of us can die while the other lives. You had to live. _

"For you," she said.

_For both of us._

She leaned over his cold face. "By our bonds of blood, soul and love, I will revive you," she said, playing upon the dark rebirthing ritual Voldemort used. "You are everything I have ever wanted, and I will never willingly let you go. I love you, Harry Potter. With every ounce of my being; with every ounce of my soul, I love you. Please come back to me."

She leaned down and kissed his cold lips with all the passion she had ever felt. She could feel him there in her mind—his spark and his power. She willed it from her mouth into his, just as he once did for her the previous year. She kissed him more intensely than ever before, pouring all of her own power into the kiss along with his half of their soul.

She did not see the blue light sparkling over her skin, but she saw it begin to shine underneath his. She did not stop, though. She crawled on top of him, straddling his body as she kissed him with all the love and passion she had ever felt in her short life.

She felt a sudden drain and a crushing sense of loneliness as his essence flowed from her mouth into his. The magic drained from her as well. She continued to kiss him but kept her eyes closed as the blue light filled the room.

He gasped into the kiss. She let up and he began choking and coughing. Tears watered at his eyes as his face flushed bright red. The bond they shared suddenly exploded with agony easily as bad as the _cruciatus_ they both shared. It was the pain of rebirth as Harry's body literally regenerated under the combined force of their magic.

Ginny screamed and clung to him tightly, not daring to let him go. Both of them knew that if she were to release him, the process would fail. They would both die. They knew this instinctively.

Even in the midst of their agony, she felt a new pressure between her legs. There was no hesitation on her part; nor conscious thought. While clinging to his shoulder with one hand, she reached down and grasped his engorged member, which was made stiff by their shared agony and the sudden flow of blood that had previously stopped flowing.

She placed the tip against her sex, and pushed down.

There was no description she could make. What should have been a tearing pain because of her youth was instead a spear of…white. Of Light. In the midst of their agony the sensation did not present itself as physical pain, but as a feeling of being impaled by light.

_I love you_. Neither could say who generated the thought; rather it was a mutual, joint statement of being. The light spread, burning the blue magic away before a pure shower of white light. The agony, exhaustion and crushing loneliness melted away until only the white remained.

Ginny moved, and the white pulsed. Harry moved underneath her, and it pulsed again. There whole world; their whole existence became the white light as they made love for the first time. Awkwardly, they established a rhythm that the light pulsed too. They closed their eyes against it, moving with instinctive knowledge of each other's bodies, as the white light grew more intense.

She felt the welling both within herself and within Harry. It was a gathering of magic even more intense than what surrounded them. The thought that it would get even more powerful both terrified and exhilarated her. Them.

_Love me!_ Again, it did not come from one or the other, but both. They moved fast now, slamming into each other with desperation born of love, need and the reformation of life itself. Not an affirmation, but a consolidation and rebirthing of life.

Harry was blessedly alive. She felt his life throbbing within him. The white light blinded even through their closed eye lids as the magic exploded in climax.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

"Where are they?" Molly screeched. "Where is my baby girl?"

All of them were astounded. Hermione's first thought was, "But they can't apparate in Hogwarts!"

Her second thought was—Harry is not gone. Ginny was going to bring him back.

Dumbledore was busy scrambling back to his feet. "Come with me!" he cried as he ran out of the Hospital Wing with Sirius Black a step behind. All of them followed, and so missed Hagrid as the half-giant walked in with the body of Draco Malfoy.

"Halloooo," he called. "Madam Pomfrey?"

When none answered, he shrugged, put the body on a bed, sat down on the next bed over, and began playing his hand-carved flute. After the first section of Hagrid's song, Dumbledore reached his office with a retinue of people following. He ran straight to the array of instruments behind his desk and stared at them raptly.

"By Merlin!" he said.

"What is it?" Sirius demanded.

Dumbledore pointed at a strange device that had been still when they entered, but slowly began to puff out small bunches of white steam. "That monitors Harry Potter. Somehow, he is alive!"

"But how?" Molly asked.

Dumbledore turned to the Weasleys and smiled. "Molly, Arthur, do you remember our conversation the day after their accident in the Chamber? That I had seen a severing of souls like there's before? Only what I saw before was the creation of a dark magic that in all likelihood was the reason Voldemort was able to survive his own death. What Ginny and Harry share is very similar to that, but without the darkness. They are each other's horcruxes! And Mrs. Potter must understand that now. When she said neither could die while the other lives, she was speaking the truth. While she lives, Harry Potter cannot truly die. And while Harry lives, neither can she!"

Molly paled at the implication that her daughter had a horcrux, but Hermione began bouncing on her feet. "Then Harry's still alive! But where?"

Fawkes began trilling loudly from his perch, and around then the air seemed to turn almost white. Hermione looked down at her arms and was surprised to see the hair on them standing on end.

"Albus?" Arthur said. "What's happening?"

Dumbledore was staring at his joyfully trilling phoenix. For the first time that day, his lips turned up into a smile. It was at once sad and filled with hope. "They are in their room," he said with certainty.

Molly turned to run. Dumbledore said, "No, wait!" but Molly would have nothing to do it.

"Headmaster?" Hermione asked.

"My dear, it is Ginny's love for Harry that will give him life," Dumbledore said. "What is the most intense physical expression of love a man and woman can share?"

Ron, bless his soul, still had no clue. The twins blushed, Arthur frowned, and Hermione understood with a blush of her own. Molly Weasley was about to walk into something she had no business seeing.

"We need to stop her," Hermione declared as she turned and ran after the Weasley matriarch. Evidently the rest of the Weasleys agreed with her, as did Sirius, because they all came running after her.

The air around them seemed to pulse with the strange magic in the air, and Hermione had absolutely no doubt what it meant. Students were beginning to pour into the hall to see what was happening, only to have McGonagall follow behind the Weasleys shouting for them to return to their common rooms.

Unfortunately, that meant a lot of Gryffindors ended up following them to the tower. "Hey, Ron, Hermione, what's going on?" Dean asked.

Hermione, smartest witch of her age, could not even begin to answer. Instead, she just ran after Molly Weasley, who managed to bully her way past the Fat Lady into the Gryffindor common room.

More students were there, as was a now fog-like cloud of magic so intense that the students were acting a little scared. Hermione for her part was also becoming worried. Harry and Ginny could be explosive, and if this ambient magic were to be ignited somehow, it could blow up the whole castle.

"Mrs. Weasley, stop!" Hermione called.

"Molly, stop this instant!" Arthur called over her shoulder.

Molly ignored them as she finally reached the head boy suite one floor below McGonagal's quarters. She flung the door opened but then backed up as blinding white light hit her full in the face.

Hermione arrived, as did the others. Though she wanted to respect their privacy, she could no more look away than Molly could.

Ginny was straddling Harry, making passionate love to the young boy. But what was truly stunning was the white light shining from their skins. She could see the outline of bodies slapping against each other, but could see nothing else.

"Arthur?" Molly asked. She could not truly comprehend what she was seeing.

Arthur joined his wife but did not answer. Finally Dumbledore arrived. "Oh dear!" he said. "Minerva! Help me. We must shield off their room. We don't have time for wards."

"Shields?" Minerva asked.

"They'll destroy the whole castle!" Dumbledore said. He began enchanting the walls around them, and Minerva quickly followed, strengthening the walls.

Sirius, who now understood the threat, turned to Hermione. "Evacuate the tower. Everyone out. Do it now!"

Hermione nodded and led the three Weasley boys back to the common room. There the rest of the house waited anxiously. Already rumors had begun about an attack involving Voldemort. "Everyone get out!" Hermione screeched at them. "There's danger of an explosion. Everyone go to the Great Hall now!"

"Granger, what is…." Lavender Brown began, but was cut off when the twins shouted, "Get out now! Everyone out!"

Cowed by the Weasleys, the rest of the students fled. "What about us?" Ron asked when they were gone.

Hermione shook her head. "She's up there saving Harry. I'm not going anywhere." With that, she ran back up the stairs. Sirius by this time was spelling the walls with Minerva and Dumbledore, adding his own not inconsiderable power to their efforts, while Molly and Arthur clung to each other and sobbed.

They saw Hermione and their sons coming up. "What are you doing here?" Molly said, shrilly.

"I'm here fore Harry and Ginny!" she declared. Molly Weasley was not her mother, and she wasn't going to be cowed by the woman.

Evidently Molly saw that in Hermione's glare and merely looked back at the doorway. The white light within had become so intense that they could see nothing of the interior. But they could hear Ginny's cries within. Cries of passion too intense for any normal thirteen, nearly fourteen-year-old girl to ever have to feel.

The light began to pulse, faster and faster.

"I hope she remembered her contraceptive spell," Molly whispered.

Hermione turned to stare at the woman, astounded that of all the thoughts she could be having, that was the one she chose to voice.

From within the room, Ginny screamed. And a second voice cried out as well—a blessedly, beautifully familiar one. "Oh Harry," Hermione gasped, crying as she realized both with heart and mind that her friend was not truly gone.

The light flashed blindingly bright now, and the whole tower rocked. They all heard a massive explosion, but it seemed to be pointed away from them.

Suddenly the light was gone. They could all clearly see Ginny Weasley collapsed over Harry, both covered by a sheet. The exterior wall of their room was gone and pieces from the second floor were crumbling down as well. She looked at the two professors and Sirius and saw magical exhaustion etched on their faces. She realized that if not for their protective shielding, they would likely all be dead now.

Molly and Arthur slowly stepped past the others into the room. The room was a complete mess. Their trunks were shattered and their personal affects were tossed wildly about. The two kids were both covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Ginny's arm remained over Harry's chest; her head lay on his shoulder.

Both of them opened their eyes at once, and the adult Weasleys gasped.

Ginny's right eye remained green; and now Harry's left eye was brown, the same shade as Ginny's. The two did not say anything, nor did they make any move to cover themselves more thoroughly as the Weasleys entered.

Hermione hung by the door, conscious of Ron's hand on her shoulder.

"Harry?" Molly asked.

"I'm sorry," Harry said. His voice was cracked and hoarse. "I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley. We broke our promise."

Arthur Weasley fell to his knees beside the bed, and with tears in his eyes he gathered the two exhausted kids in his arms and kissed both on their foreheads. "Bugger the promise," he said. "I don't care about that any more, just so long as we have you with us!"

Dumbledore meanwhile stepped past the Weasleys, raised his arm, and summoned the magic not just of his power but also of Hogwarts herself. The wall began to reassemble, growing from dust and rubble back into the solid stones they were familiar with, until all the damage was repaired.

When he was done, the old wizard visibly swayed on his feet as he turned and surveyed the room. "Arthur, Molly," he said gently. "They need to rest, and I daresay they will rest better here than anywhere else. Let's go back to my office for tea, shall we? I daresay we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

sp

sp

A happy ending? Everything comes with a price.


	34. Different

Author's Note: A little rest, but with the beginnings of the last hurdle they must pass to survive.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Different**

Harry woke first. The act of his waking woke Ginny an instant later. He felt her body pressing against his, and she felt his coming awake under her.

He turned and looked at her. There was no formulated communication; either with thought or word. She knew what he needed and needed the same. She rolled over and pulled him onto her. They felt the same heat as before, but not as violently now. Rather, it felt as gentle as their loving.

In a chair nearby, Poppy Pomfrey sat up from her light doze and saw what the young couple were doing. She saw the white light surrounding them again, but also saw it was much smaller than before. The threat of explosiveness no longer seemed to hang in the air.

Some small part of Poppy worried about Ginny's age. It was not unusual for children still in their early teens to be sexual—in fact most parents would be shocked at how common it was. But for true intercourse, Ginny was very young. And yet the proof of their need lay there, making love to his young wife a day after he died.

Poppy quietly wiped away her tears and slipped out of the room. Neither teen noticed, so caught up were they in each other. She closed the door, and then used a medical quarantine seal to lock it. Only she, Minerva or Dumbledore could undo it from the outside.

She tiredly made her way down the stairs. It was very early in the morning, but she was not surprised to see the Weasley Twins, Ron and Hermione in the common room already. She was surprised to see Miss Granger leaning on Ron's shoulder asleep.

Knowing that the couple's friends would want to know, she gently woke Hermione. Ron and the twins continued to snore. Hermione came awake instantly. "Are they…"

"They are awake, and recuperating," Pomfrey said with a meaningful look.

Hermione blushed, but smiled. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is. I'm going back to the hospital wing to take care of Mr. Malfoy, and then sleep."

Hermione nodded, biting her lip at the thought of her fellow student having died. She knew she should have been sad, or at least somber, at the thought of any student her age dying. But when Sirius told them the details of Draco's involvement the previous day, she found she could summon no sympathy for him at all. In fact, if she were honest with herself, she would admit to being glad the prat was dead.

She wondered if that made her a bad person.

Ron snorted himself awake. "What…what's happening?"

He woke the twins up, and both looked at her.

"They're awake," Hermione told them. "And resting."

"Probably shagging," George said.

Hermione felt her cheeks redden, and all three realized that was exactly what was happening. "They're married," Hermione said quickly. "They can do that."

"Doesn't matter," Fred said with surprising insight. "If shagging him brought Harry back to life, then I'm glad she did."

"A little bit more to it than that," Hermione said.

"But not much," George finished.

"I'm hungry," Ron declared. "Let's go eat."

"We need to clean up first," Hermione said. "You smell. And…well, I'm afraid I may have drooled on you last night."

The twins chuckled. "Hey, Forge."

"Yes, Gred?"

"Every think a pretty bird like Granger would ever drool over a sot like Ron?"

"Never on my life, Forge."

Ron blushed brilliantly. "Shut it," he growled as he pushed himself to his feet. Then he turned and offered Hermione a hand, still blushing.

She accepted it, and then looked at the laughing twins. She stuck out her tongue. "So there!" she said before lifting her chin and returning to her room to clean up.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

At nine, all the portraits in the castle announced that there would be a school assembly at ten. Students from both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were invited to attend as well. Hermione and Ron knew what it was about, of course, but refused to tell any of their friends. After everything that happened, none of those with knowledge of the previous day's events knew how to describe it.

They trailed in with all the other students who took their seats. The Beauxbatons students sat with the Ravenclaws, while the Durmstrang students sat at a table filled with very nervous-looking Slytherins. Hermione found herself studying the other house. She was expecting to see smug superiority now that the Dark Lord had returned.

Instead, she saw a group of mostly terrified kids, with only a few sixth and seventh years openly wearing satisfied smirks.

The real surprise, though, came from the large wireless set on the staff table in front of Dumbledore. When at last all students assembled, the headmaster stood and signaled for their attention.

"I know that a lot of rumors have been spread in the past day. I will address those rumors shortly. Before then, however, the Ministry of Magic has scheduled an announcement for 10:30 this morning. Since that time quickly approaches, we will first listen to the announcement before speaking further."

Hermione realized that it had taken almost half an hour for all the students to arrive and get settled. She watched as Dumbledore activated the wireless with his wand and sat down.

Amelia Bones's voice filled the Great Hall.

"_Good morning. This is Amelia Bones, and by an emergency vote of the Wizengamot conducted last night, I am the new Minister of Magic. _

"_Yesterday morning, shortly before noon, Harry Potter was abducted by port-key from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft. We know for a fact that the abduction was facilitated by a fellow student who was later found dead of acromantula poisoning. _

"_Mr. Potter was taken to a muggle cemetery where Lucius Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew forced him to participate in a ritual that allowed He Who Must Not Be Named to create a new body for himself. To be clear, Voldemort has returned."_

Hermione watched as the Great Hall exploded in gasps and exclamations of fear. Dumbledore stood and set off a shower of sparks. "Silence!" he roared.

The hall fell quiet.

Minister Bones had evidently expected some interruption, for she paused in her speech. _"With the help of Mr. Potter's family, we were able to locate him and dispatch a team of Aurors. Ministry officials and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore engaged Voldemort and thirty of his followers in a battle. I regret to say that Minister Cornelius Fudge was killed in the fight. However, several highly placed supporters of Voldemort were also killed. Mr. Potter was severely hurt in the exchange, but with the help of friends and family, he is expected to make a full recovery._

"_I recognize that this is a terrible time for Magical England. Several here in the ministry have indicated we are now at war. I dispute this. A war implies a meeting of opposing forces and some modicum of expected conduct between our sides. This is not a war. I for one refuse to grant Voldemort or his supporters the dignity of being my opponent. They are nothing more or less than criminals. They are murderers and rapists. And before you all I pledge the entire Ministry to hunting these criminals down like the rabid animals they are, until every last one has faced justice."_

Hermione couldn't help it. "I like her," she said.

Ron nodded, astounded that any adult would be so brave. Most adults he knew stuttered Voldemort's name in horror.

"_Make no mistake, these criminals are dangerous. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has, just this morning, begun a recruitment campaign for any witches and wizards over age 17 who wish to assist in making our country a better place. Additionally, the Ministry is instituting a bounty of ten thousand galleons for the live capture of any marked Death Eater. Please note we will not pay anything for dead bodies—we will not have this great land marred by vigilantism. _

"_We will be making further announcements in the coming days regarding steps we are taking to make you safer at home, including subsidies and low interest loans for ward improvements and emergency portkeys._

"_I know many of you remember the last war. You are scared, and I understand that. But do not let your fear give these criminals power over you. Voldemort aside, his followers are just witches and wizards like you. They can be stopped, and they will be. Be strong, my friends, and know that we at the Ministry are standing with you in this time of trial. _

_Thank you." _

It was, Hermione realized, the very first time she saw true leadership in the Ministry of Magic, and she allowed herself a tiny spark of hope. She looked up at Dumbledore who stood once more.

"The TriWizard Tournament was intended to help bring our three great schools together in the camaraderie of competition. I would like to think we all know each other a little better now. However, given the many sinister events surrounding the tournament, all of the judges have unanimously agreed to suspend the third task. The cup and prize will be awarded based on the results of the first two tasks. It is therefore with great pleasure that I announce that, because of his astonishing performance in the first task, and his self-less acts of heroism in the second, Harry Potter is the winner of the tournament."

Hermione launched herself to her feet, clapping and cheering loudly. She grinned happily when Cedric Diggory stood at the Hufflepuff table, clapping as loud as she. The other tables felt compelled to stand, even at the end the Slytherins.

"Sadly, as Minister Bones indicated, Mr. Potter is recuperating from injuries received during his ordeal. However, I'm sure if he were here, he would run away in embarrassment before being able to speak to anyone."

That had many in the hall laughing.

"Because of everything that has happened this year, I and the Board of Governors have agreed to end the term early. All students are hereby released from their exams save for fifth and seventh years, who will finish the term normally for their OWL and NEWT scores. The rest of the student body will be leavening tomorrow. So, let me say a profound thank you to Madame Maxime from the Beauxbatons School of Magic, and Igor Karkaroff from the Durmstrang Institute for their invaluable help this year.

"Thank you all, and have a good day."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Harry and Ginny were different.

The morning before the first through fourth and sixth years were to depart for London, the young couple walked down to the great hall for breakfast. They did not speak as they walked, or even look at each other like normal.

Hermione and Ron as always tried flanking them, as if to protect them from other students. The Weasley twins followed up behind them as well, doing the same. Even so, Cedric at the Hufflepuff table, which was closest to the Gryffindor table, was able to see clearly that the young couple even looked different.

Each had different colored eyes. More odd was the way they moved. Their legs swung with perfect synchronicity. They sat down together, flanked two layers deep by friends and family, and began to put food on their plate.

Cedric made a decision and crossed the space between the tables. He saw down across from the young couple. "Hello, Harry," he said. "I just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you, and that I'm glad you're better."

He could not help but stare from Harry's face to Ginny's, and their strangely matching eyes. Neither smiled, as if their faces could no longer emote. Still, Harry's voice sounded warm as he said, "Thank you, Cedric. We still think you should have been the winner, though."

Cedric fought a shudder—as Harry spoke Ginny's lips moved in a perfect but silent echo of his words.

"I appreciate that," Cedric said. "But be that as it may, you won fairly. You two take care, and please let me know if either of you ever need anything, okay?"

"We will," the two said, again with perfect synchronicity.

Cedric went back to his table and suddenly found himself surrounded by fifth, sixth and seventh years. "So?" a sixth year prefect said.

He thought about the many rumors going around that somehow Harry had died and come back to life. "I don't know anything for sure," he said. "But they are definitely different. Strange."

The Hufflepuffs did not even try to be subtle as they, along with the Ravenclaws and Slytherins looked across the room at the young couple. They, along with everyone else, noticed how the two each took bites of the same food at the same time. How they drank from their cups at the same time. Their friends talked around them but not to them, and the young couple made no effort to talk back.

The train left Hogwarts an hour later. Cedric did his rounds to make sure all the students were behaving, being a prefect and all. Eventually, though, he made his way to the back of the train to check on Harry and Ginny. He found his way barred by a thin, almost ethereal Ravenclaw.

"Hello, Cedric," she said. Her eyes bulged slightly, giving her a distracted air. She was not very attractive at first glance, and made no effort to be so. Still, she seemed nice enough. "Hello, Miss…."

"Your girlfriend calls me Looney," Luna Lovegood said.

"She does, does she?" Cedric asked, frowning at that piece of news. Cho had mentioned Looney Lovegood in passing, but now looking at the girl he wondered how much was behind the name. "Well, I certainly won't. Your name is actually Luna, right?"

"Yes. You shouldn't bother Harry and Ginny right now."

"Er… are they okay?"

"I believe they are having sex."

Cedric felt his cheeks redden. "How do you know that?"

"Their friends left and warded their cabin. I do not believe they can help themselves, you see. Death does things to the best of people."

Cedric found himself studying the strange girl. "Luna, are you close to them?"

"I see things sometimes," the young girl admitted. "Harry died. But because of their bond Ginny was able to give him life. But just as they changed when he first shared his soul with her, they have changed now by her sharing her life with him. They don't know how to handle it, and they have an irresistible urge to be joined. Hence the sex. It would be romantic, I suppose. But they are both very scared."

From what he had heard from Cho, Cedric was under the impression Luna never spoke this much. "Why are you telling me this?"

Luna's eyes went distant. "If Harry had not shared his soul with Ginny, they would not have gained the power to read auras. Without the power to read auras, they would not have detected Barty Crouch Jr. If they had not detected Barty Crouch Jr., he would have turned the TriWizard Cup into a portkey during the third task to trick Harry to come to the place where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was revived without risking his spy in the school. And if he had done that, you and Harry would have reached the cup at the same time, and Peter Pettigrew would have murdered you. You should be dead, Cedric. I can see it in your aura as surely as Harry and Ginny could. You are alive because of their bond."

Though he would never admit it, Cedric Diggory had a great aunt in France who was a legitimate, confirmed seer. He remembered visiting her when he was twelve when she abruptly fell into a strange, faraway trance and said, "_The Key to Death shall by couched in Triumph_."

The thought came clearly after five years as he stared at a girl who also very clearly had the gift. "So in a strange way, you're saying I owe them a life debt?"

"Not a debt per se," Luna said. "Merely friendship. I'm told having friends is important."

Being the ultimate Hufflepuff, Cedric leaned forward and gently hugged the girl. She stiffened, confused at first by the motion, before hugging him back tightly. When they parted, the far-away look was gone, replaced by a misty-eyed smile. "That was quite nice, thank you," she said.

"You're welcome, thank you for telling me all this." He smiled down, realizing that she wasn't really unattractive so much as she was different. "And I will talk to Cho. She won't pick on you any more."

"You don't have to."

"Perhaps, but I want to. It's what friends do, right?"

"I…" She blinked. "Thank you."

"Have a good summer, Luna." With that, he turned and left the car knowing Harry and Ginny were in good hands.

In fact, they were in each other's arms, trembling in the after throes of their passion. The others had left not out of consideration, but out of the fact that the young couple could apparently not control themselves. They began passionately kissing almost the moment the train started moving, much to the shock and consternation of their friends and family.

Ron's attempts to break them up left him stunned and sparking on the floor with an accidental outburst from the young married couple—the two never even noticed. Rather, they clung to each other and started pulling off school robes.

"I think maybe we should give them some space," said a brightly blushing Hermione.

"Like bloomin' rabbits they are," Fred muttered.

Ginny's shirt came off, and that pretty much ended the discussion. After, still joined and trembling, Ginny buried her head in Harry's chest and began to cry.

He cradled her gently, weeping himself. "How are we going to survive this?" they whispered to each other, speaking in perfect synchronicity.


	35. Like a Pair of Bunnies

Chap 34 Review Responses are in my Forums. There was another great turn out on reviews, thank you.

As for this chapter-I can't quite put my finger on it, but this is actually one of my favorite chapters. Maybe it's because Dumbledore...well, you'll see. I hope you enjoy.

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**Chapter Thirty-Five: Like A Pair of Bunnies**

The island did not appear on any maps, magical or muggle. In fact, until Albus read the coordinates on a piece of paper, the island did not seem to exist at all. However, upon reading the coordinates, the largest and most complex Fidelius Charm ever created was released to reveal a little piece of heaven in the Aegean.

The island was not much to look at initially from Albus's first sighting, but he knew there was much more than appeared at first. In fact, as the spelled boat moved with the tide, he saw the rest.

Pelagos Ciel rose perhaps two hundred feet above the Aegean Sea on an outcropping of white stone. At the top of the pillar were a clump of fruit trees, including olive, orange and pear trees. As the waves carried him around the initial up-thrust, he saw more of the island, which was roughly shaped like a footprint with the up-thrust being the side of the toes. The entire island was topped by lush grassy areas and fruit-bearing trees.

In the center the lowest portion of the island, which housed a narrow, rocky beach, Albus saw a small pier of wood held up by nothing more than air and magic. With a burst of will and magic, the old headmaster directed his boat to the pier and tied it off. In so doing, he passed wards easily as powerful as those around Hogwarts, if not even more so.

The wards seemed to squeeze around him, as if judging him. Fortunately, they appeared to judge him worthy, for he was allowed to pass. Once at the pier, he walked until he came to the rocky beach. The only path before him was a steep, winding path up the side of the mountainous island. Apparating was quite impossible.

Albus sighed deeply, gathered his strength, and began the trek. As his feet carried him up the path, he remembered the one and only other time he had made the journey, as a young man of only two and a half decades. Almost a century had passed, and so many terrible and wonderful things had occurred during those ninety years he was amazed to have lived through it all.

Though the headmaster's magic was strong, his knees were not. Therefore he had to stop repeatedly to rest himself. Still, he knew the journey was important. So after each rest, he stood and continued until he made it to the top of the island.

The view was worth it, of course. The sparkling waters of the Aegean spread out before him, with Crete a distant line to the south and Greece a smudge on the horizon to the west. The island top itself was an exquisitely kept garden, with a large, stately manor in the neo-classical style dominating the promontory just out of sight of any boats on approach.

Albus was gratified to find a table waiting for him with a serving not of tea, but of lemonade. Next to the iced pitcher he saw a small bowl of lemon drops that brought a smile to his lips. Three chairs formed a circle around the bistro table, but no one was there that he could see.

He had no doubt they could see him, though. He walked stiffly to the table, sat with a sigh of relief, and poured himself a glass. He sipped it with relish. "Ahh, my dear Perenelle, you continue to amaze me with the magic of your fruit. This is truly the best lemonade I have ever tasted."

"You are too kind, Albus," Perenelle Flamel said. The air before him shimmered and she was there. It was neither disillusionment nor apparation. It was a mastery of magic beyond even Albus's grasp.

In the chair beside her, another figure appeared. "_Bonjour, vieil ami. Vous semblez fatigués_."

Albus chuckled. "_Oui, mon ami. Je suis fatigué. À la différence de certains, je suis vieux_."

Nicholas Flamel appeared to be a strapping man of just four inches over five feet tall, with a thick black beard and pale skin. At a glance Albus would judge him to be twenty nine. Paranelle was a stunningly beautiful woman with blonde hair growing below her shoulders, and skin that was well-tanned and healthy with the Mediterranean sun. She looked to be forty, but a very attractive forty.

The most compelling feature about the most famous couple in the wizarding world were their eyes. They had blue and brown eyes. Each.

"So what brings you back, Albus?" Nicholas said in perfect English. "This have anything to do with Potter?"

Albus was not surprised Nicholas knew. "It does indeed. Have you been keeping up with the news?"

"I have. I like your new minister. I sent her a few suggestions that she implemented immediately."

"Ahh, I was wondering who suggested the joint taskforce with the Americans. Well done. We intercepted three Americans attempting to join and help fund Voldemort in just the past week."

"Well, America is not perfect. It has its share of bigots and criminals who want to join in the fun," Perenelle said. "There was a rumor spread among one of the papers—the _Quibbler_, I believe—that the Potter boy actually died. And then was up and walking around the next day. Preposterous, isn't it?" The last question was weighted with irony.

"Indeed. No less so because of the truth. For he was dead, for a full hour, and was walking around the next day. And in the process a most remarkable thing occurred."

The two ancient magicals waited with a poise and stillness not even Albus Dumbledore could emulate. In fact, despite the visible age difference, he felt very much like a child in their presence.

"Two years ago, a young student named Ginevra Weasley was attacked by a sentient horcrux of Voldemort's. The horcrux attempted to consume her soul to power its rebirth. Harry Potter went to her rescue by himself, fought and killed a thousand year old basilisk, and then destroyed the horcrux. But the damage was done to young Ginny, and so he saved her by giving her a piece of his own soul, and in the process took a piece of her soul into his own."

In the time he spent with the Flamels, he had never seen them disturbed. Until now. "And?" Nicholas said.

"They formed a soul bond, just as you read in the paper, that required constant contact for the first day, and then several hours of contact each day following. We resolved the situation by allowing them to sleep together. It was a difficult adjustment given their ages, but over time they seemed to reach an accord and grew quite fond of each other. In fact, they seemed to genuinely come to love one another. However, there was a great deal of pain involved if they did not have sufficient contact, and as last summer progressed, casual contact ceased to be sufficient to eliminate their pain."

"How old was the girl?" Perenelle asked.

"By this time, thirteen. She will in fact turn fourteen next month."

"And Potter?"

"He is exactly one year older than her, to within a week."

"So they had sex?"

"Not vaginal intercourse, no. They made a mutual promise to Ginny's father to wait until her age of consent and seemed determined to do just that. However, I understand that they engaged in different sexual activities that allowed them to achieve satisfaction, and that actually seemed to relieve the needs of their bonds."

"It would have, for a time," Nicholas said.

Albus merely nodded, having his own private suspicions confirmed. "Just this last April, however, Harry was abducted so that his blood could be used in a ceremony to provide Voldemort a new body. The ritual was a success, of sorts, and Voldemort has been reborn as a monstrous figure. Before abandoning the field to our superior numbers, he managed to kill Harry with a killing curse."

"And his young bond-mate?" Perenelle asked.

"She seemed to die for a time as well, but then revived. However, when she did so there was a curious physical difference."

"One of her eyes assumed the color of her husband's," Nicholas said. He stared at Albus with one blue eye and one brown eye.

"Yes. She took Harry to their room and somehow revived him. I don't know the full details, but I do know that they had intercourse at that time, and the magical release of their lovemaking almost destroyed the school."

Perenelle shook her head sadly. "Oh, poor dear. How bad is it now?"

It did not surprise Albus at all that the ancient couple seemed to know exactly what was happening. "Six to seven times a day," Albus said with a grimace. "Our mediwitch has proscribed a course of nutrient and stamina potions. They are mortified—terrified, even. They are both genuinely good children, and are horrified that they cannot stop themselves when the need strikes. Complicating matters is that healing charms will not keep. As you can imagine with that much sexual activity, they are becoming quite pained.

"Young Ginevra's family are beside themselves, and poor Harry just wants it all to end. I have never encountered anything like this before, my friends. But for the color of their eyes, I've never encountered anything like what they are suffering."

"Nor has anyone else," Nicholas said. "Not for three hundred years. And in that case, it was a pair of brothers who were so horrified by the compulsions of the bonds that they killed each other, negating the bond. Before that another two hundred back. The only other one I'm aware of was just under a thousand years ago."

Albus nodded, finally understanding. "We never discussed it, but you and Perenelle are truly soul-bound, then, aren't you?"

The two did not look at him or each other, but after two years of watching Harry and Ginny, Albus knew the two were having an intense conversation.

"What we tell you now," Nicholas said with a hint of warning, "we have never told another. I will have our promise to never repeat it on your life."

Albus noted the man did not ask for an unbreakable vow, and smiled wistfully at the trust shown. "You have that promise and more, my friend."

"It happened in the middle of the Black Death and the Hundred Years War, well before the statutes of secrecy formally passed," Nicholas began. "Wizards openly fought with the armies of both King Philip VI and Edward III. France still held the upper hand in the war, but then the Black Death struck. When Philip died and his son John took over, the boy was more interested in food and drink than in ruling justly. His defeat at Potiers was an embarrassment, and his behavior as prisoner to the Black Prince was insulting. The home country was in turmoil, but that was the way of things."

"We were already wed for five years," Perenelle said. "We wed when we were fifteen. I delivered three stillborns and a fourth child that lived only two weeks by the time I was seventeen and after that we chose not to have children."

"When we were twenty and the Black Death struck, we headed north to Normandy," Nicholas said. "While there, we were accosted by rebel Normandy knights fighting for the Black Prince. There were two wizards among them, both as dark as pitch. I killed them, but not before one struck my love with an Moorish soul-rending curse. It had a similar effect to your dementors. Without thinking about it, I gave of my own soul to save her. Thus began our adventure."

"And the Philosopher's Stone?"

"It is real, but not the source of our immortality," Perenelle said. "And you know it does not turn lead into gold. It can, however, be used in the creation of a human body. But it only works with the body of the person who created it. Voldemort would never have been able to use it."

"Nicholas, Perenelle, please do not think me forward. But have the two of you gone through what they are going through now?"

"The first two times, yes," Perenelle said without embarrassment. "That's why we try to time our rebirths to leave me a little older. Frankly the sex is better with my being older. However, once Nick created our first Philosopher's Stone, we were able to control our rebirths better."

Stones? As in more than one? That was a revelation to Albus. "Is there anything to be done for them?" Albus asked.

"They need to make their own stone," Nicholas said. "Their personal philosopher's stone. Otherwise the physical aspect will continue for another four to five months. Believe me, that alone almost killed us again those first two times. Even with magic, our bodies were not meant to engage in so much sexual activity. And we were adults at the time. For the children, well, there is great risk."

Albus popped a lemon drop in his mouth and sucked on it while pondering. "My friend, I know I have already asked so much of you, but is there anything you or Perenelle can do for them? Young Harry has had such a difficult life already because of the burden on his shoulders—I cannot bear the thought of him suffering further."

The two ancient mages leaned forward and Dumbledore felt powerful minds against his. Even if he had the brute power to hold them off, he would not do so. Not with them. He opened his mind and brought up memories and feelings regarding Harry.

When at last it was finished, Dumbledore sighed in relief. Nicholas, though, was frowning. "You did the child a great disservice, Albus. I'm disappointed in you."

Albus made no attempt to evade the blame. "You are right, of course. I viewed him as a tool; a weapon. Never as a child. Not until I saw him waiting to be sorted. I realized then the great harm I had done him, but by that time it seemed it was too late. Circumstances have changed and now I find I will do anything to help him, even ask an old friend for a favor I admittedly don't deserve."

"Self pity is not becoming, Albus," Perenelle said firmly. "You do not have the excuse of youth for your indiscretions any longer. Regardless of your motivation, you placed that child in a loveless and abusive home. There is no excuse for that."

"You are right, of course."

"We are not going to fight your battles for you," Nicholas said. "Nor for your children."

"I understand."

The old couple looked at each other, again speaking silently to each other. "Where are they now?" Nicholas asked aloud.

"They are with Harry's godfather in London. The situation was too much for Ginny's family to bear."

More silent speech. Finally, Nicholas said, "We will help. Leave the address here, and I will arrive in three days time. Prepare the family—I will bring them here. No other visitors will be allowed, not even you, Albus. We will return them a week before they are to resume school."

"Yes, sir," Dumbledore said, responding to the power and authority in the man's voice just as he did a century before.

"See to it. Now, it has been nice visiting with you, Albus, but I believe it is time for you to go. I'm afraid you will not be coming back."

"Thank…" Albus blinked and then sank back down on the captain's chair of the spelled boat he used to arrive at the island. There was no sign of the island at all.

Albus was almost a hundred and twenty years old. He reached his maximum period of magical development at age sixteen, and experienced incremental gains since that time. Because of his age and his already large magical core, he was considered the most powerful wizard of his age.

Nicholas Flamel started with the same magical strength as Albus, as he was well known among this generation as one of the strongest wizards in Europe. Like Albus, he also experienced incremental gains in his magical core that transmitted itself to each new body. Those incremental gains continued for century after century, until after six hundred years Nicholas Flamel was not just the most powerful wizard of his age, but possibly one of the most powerful wizards to ever live. Even Merlin himself would have been hard-pressed to withstand Flamel's power, assuming Merlin was not soul bound with another himself. Perenelle, though lacking the initial power, had also experienced many lifetimes of magical gain and training to thoroughly use that magic.

Albus felt as if he had just been spanked by his father, and he knew deep down he deserved it.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Rosemerta Black sat up and stretched, luxuriating in the feel of the acromantula silk against her otherwise bare skin. She turned and looked down fondly at her husband of four days.

Sirius lay sprawled across their bed, drooling a little and unconsciously reaching for the body that should be there. She climbed out of bed and threw a housecoat on before she walked out to get a bite of early breakfast.

As she walked down the stairs, she heard a low thump and saw a flash of light come from under the otherwise silenced door of Harry and Ginny. At it again. She shook her head sadly and continued down the stairs.

She found Poppy Pomfrey in the kitchen, reading a journal and sipping coffee. "Good morning, Rosie," the mediwitch said fondly.

"Morning Missus Harry Potter Sirius's Rosie ma'am!" Dobby chirped. "Dobby is making you black coffee and muffins!"

"Thank you, Dobbie," Rosie said, non-plussed by the hyperactive elf. She settled at the table. "Have you seen them yet?"

"No, just arrived," Poppy said with an unhappy sigh. "Have you been helping them with the creams?"

"Sirius is helping Harry," Rosie said. "I've been helping Ginny apply hers. The poor girl is chaffed into bleeding; never seen the like."

"Harry is no better, I assure you. If this ever eases up, I wonder if they will ever have a healthy relationship at all. Sex should never be traumatizing."

Rosie liked the mediwitch, but she also knew Pomfrey's world view was quaint. Sex was often traumatizing, and often brutal. She said nothing, however, as Dobby placed her breakfast on the table before her. She looked up to put some marmalade on the muffin when she saw Harry and Ginny walk gingerly into the room. Both held hands and still had a thin sheen of sweat about them.

If their friends had seen them, they would be shocked at the differences in their appearance. Both appeared wrung out and painfully thin. Their eyes were shadowed and their skin was sallow. And it was obvious by the way they sat at the table that both were in a great deal of physical pain.

"Good morning, you two," Rosie said. "Dobby?"

"I is making Harry Potter and missus good breakfast!" Dobby said from somewhere.

"We're not hungry," the pair said in stereo.

"Harry, Ginny, we need you to eat," Pomfrey said. "The potions cannot be taken on an empty stomach."

The two looked as if they were on the verge of tears as Dobby placed plates piled with eggs, potatoes and bacon in front of them.

"Has the cream helped at all?" Pomfrey asked.

"A little," they said. The two picked at their eggs.

"Would you like me to use the healing charms again?" Pomfrey asked.

Ginny actually did sob, though it emerged as a single _hic_ sound. "Doesn't work long," she managed to say. "Healing just goes away." Harry's lips moved with her words.

That, Rosie thought as she stared at the forlorn kids, was the worst part of it all. They had to resort to creams because the charms to heal their chapped and raw organs simply did not hold. It was as if their own powerful magic negated Poppy's healing magic, while at the same time forcing the kids to couple until they were so raw they could barely walk.

Worse yet was they could now only go a few hours before the compulsion struck again, so that they could not even sleep through the night any more. Even as they feverishly kissed each other, they would weep in anticipation of the pain to come. Neither had left the house since they arrived in late April at the terrified and tearful insistence of Molly Weasley.

It wasn't right, Rosie thought. But she was at a complete loss on what to do about it.

By then Sirius stumbled bleary-eyed down the stairs. Since taking two weeks from the DMLE for his honeymoon, which because of the kids was spent at home, he had taken to sleeping in. The fact he was up so early was a surprise.

"Dobby," he growled.

"Coffee, Harry Potter sir's Sirius," Dobby said. It was not a cup that appeared at Sirius's place at the table, but rather a 32oz drum of steaming black gold.

Sirius took three gulps of the scalding hot drink before looking around the table. "Rosie, you're looking lovely this morning," he said. "Poppy, you're looking lovely as well." He turned to the two kids. "And you two look like dragon dung. Were you able to sleep at all last night?"

"A couple of hours," they said, still in that strange stereo that had marked their speech since Harry's death and rebirth. It was a struggle for one or the other to speak in the singular and so they rarely tried any more.

Poppy did not look like she approved of Sirius's harsh assessment, but Rosie had come to know the kids well enough to know they thought nothing of it. And it was true enough regardless.

"We're so tired," they said softly.

Those three words contained whole novels of despair. Rosie had to stand and walk to the sink to keep her emotions under control. She wanted so badly to just wrap the kids up in her arms and keep them safe. She never had children, and wanted one so badly now that the possibility of a good man to raise them with finally arrived. To see any child suffer was almost more than she could bear.

After a deep breath to still herself, she made a show of rinsing the cup and returning to the table. As she did so, she found the kids staring at her intently. They did not smile, but she sensed a slight lessoning of their anguish for a moment.

"Congratulations on the baby girl," they said to her. "She'll be named Serefina. She'll be sorted into Slytherin." They turned to a gaping Sirius. "But she'll still be a good girl. She'll make her mum and dad proud."

"Harry?" Rosie asked, once again fighting a torrent of emotions. "What are you saying?"

However, by this time Pomfrey was already waving her wand. "Hmm, figures you two wouldn't wait to your wedding. You're already six weeks along, Rosie."

"I thought I was late because of the potions," she muttered to herself.

Suddenly she was virtually tackled by Sirius Black, who lifted her bodily out of her chair and kissed her so hard she thought she would suffocate, even as she smiled at the love the man had for her.

"It's okay if you wanna shag," the kids muttered. "We're used to it by now."

The joy died, at least a little. She and Sirius looked at each, promising with their eyes a very long and enjoyable lovemaking session that night, before they turned their attention to the forlorn kids.

Sirius leaned down and simply hugged the two. Rosie had to hold her hands over her face as Ginny wept a little again.

At that precise moment, the doorbell rang.

"Who could be here so early?" Rosie asked.

"Albus mentioned someone might be coming by," Sirius said. "But he wouldn't say who or why." He leaned back from the hug and kissed each teen on the forehead before pushing himself back to his feet.

The kids, both dressed in their pajamas, remained in the kitchen picking over their food. They did not hear the quiet conversation that occurred. However, a moment later a stunned-looking Sirius walked back into the kitchen followed by a short, stocky man. The man wore a thick black beard and stood almost a foot shorter than Sirius.

However, the magic the man projected was not just numbing, it was overwhelming. Harry and Ginny both spun about in their seats and stared. The man's most startling characteristic was his one blue eye and one brown.

"You must be Harry and Ginny," the man said in a bland, unidentifiable accent. "Albus came and asked my wife and I to assist you. My name is Nicholas Flamel."

The two kids slowly stood, their faces blank. The magic became palpable as the two teen's magic seemed to batter against his. He stood with a gentle, sad smile throughout the silent exchange.

Suddenly Ginny ran at the man. Rosie shot to her feet, terrified, but the fear turned to shock as Ginny wrapped her arms around the man's waist and started bawling. Her knees collapsed and she would have fallen if Flamel had not knelt down with her. Nearby, Harry sobbed as well, though he did not move.

"You're like us," Harry said, as in Flamel's chest Ginny's lips silently echoed the words.

"Yes," Flamel said. "And if you wish to come with us, I think my wife and I can help you."

"Where will you take them?" Sirius asked, reverting to his auror persona.

"To our home, which is unplottable and under Fidelius," Nicholas said, though he did not look away from the children before him. "It must be done. Tell their family that they will return a week before their school begins. I will return them here."

"They need to pack," Rosie said.

"Everything they need, we will provide," Flamel said.

"They don't even have their wands," Sirius protested.

"They won't need them. Harry?"

Without hesitation, Harry stepped to the man's side as he stood. He almost carried the still crying Ginny. The old mage looked at Rosie. "Congratulations on your daughter. Her name will be Serefina. She will graduate with high NEWTs and could someday be a minister of magic. Or a housewife. Make sure she knows which choice to make when the time comes."

With a resounding pop that tore through the powerful wards of the house without any effort, Nicholas Flamel, Harry Potter and Ginny Potter disappeared.

"I feel like I've just been granted an audience with Merlin himself," Sirius said.

Pomfrey stood. "I have to return to let Albus know what happened. Congratulations, Rosie. For my part, I hope she'll chose to be a minister." With that the mediwitch bustled out of the room.

The two Blacks found themselves alone in the kitchen. "We should tell Molly," Rosie said.

"We should," Sirius agreed. He grinned.

Molly would have to wait a little.

* * *

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Thank you for reading!


	36. Our Summer of Discontent

I was a bit worried about how Flamel would be received. Thanks to everyone for your support.

This is probably the only chapter of the entire story that does not have any Ginny or Harry in it, but I thought it was important for everyone to see what was happening while the kids were with the Flamels.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Our Summer of Discontent**

Despite contrary opinion, dementors were not the only creatures guarding the prisoners of Azkaban. A garrison of Hitwizards also maintained a presence on the island for those prisoners not in higher security wards.

Once upon a time, all prisoners in Azkaban were subjected to the dementors. This included prisoners convicted of murdering wizards, and wizards convicted of trying to pass off conjured money. Witches who tortured muggle children were housed alongside witches caught in the act of prostitution. There was no segregation based on the nature of the crime—everyone suffered equally.

However, only four months into her office, Amelia Bones put a stop to that.

In one of several interviews with the Daily Prophet, Minister Bones said that she never approved of the use of the prison as a catch all for all criminals. "The criminal code of Wizarding Britain is woefully outdated, as is our punishment of criminals. If I accomplish nothing else in my time as minister, I will make sure we have a legal system that is actually fair and just."

She gave that interview in May, and by June the hitwizard's received orders to completely reorganize the prison. The files of every prisoner were reviewed, and almost twenty witches and wizards received official pardons for offenses that in the muggle world would have been deemed as misdemeanors only.

Cells were cleaned and remodeled. The Nurnmengard warden was brought in as a consultant, and the cells were charmed to hold the lower security prisoners without having to resort to torture.

The higher security prisoners, however, continued to have dementor company even if their cells were cleaned and better facilities were provided. Not even Amelia was going to show pity to convicted Death Eaters and the rest of the worst of wizarding kind.

This change resulted in a shifting of almost half of the prison's remaining prisoners out of the upper dementor-infested floors into the newer cells in the ground and first floor levels.

On July 13, when it was all done, Warden Jameson Patil for his part thought it was an excellent idea. The oldest son of Svrivisan Patil and older brother to sisters Padma and Parvati, Jameson took pride in his work of keeping the prisoners in line so that the rest of the world could be safe. For every petty thief, there was a Bellatrix Lestrange. It was his job to keep them all off the streets.

Still, with the new recruiting incentives, Jameson was already studying for his auror entry exam, hoping to make up for the mediocre potion NEWT scores that prevented him from making the program the first time. While his other scores were sufficient, like so many his potions score was bad enough to disqualify him.

Now a NEWT in potions was no longer required, just preferred.

"Warden," a fresh recruit said as she popped her head in, "the dementors are acting wonky."

"Wonky, Trish?"

"They're not obeying our orders."

He stood, alerted. "What are they doing?"

Trish audibly gulped. "They're gathering in the atrium."

Jameson felt a chill and turned to the floo. The fire never flared green. "Our connection has been cut," he whispered.

"Sir?" Trish said, suddenly turning as green as the fire should have. "What do we do?"

The island held almost two hundred dementors, and a garrison of twenty hitwizards. "Sound the alarm, order all staff to assemble in admin," he decided. They could not guard prisoners and defend themselves against dementors if the demonic beings turned.

Trish ran out of his office to give the orders, but then screamed. He ran out after her into a corridor of solid ice. Trish was on the ground with a sparkling ball of light hovering over her mouth, while on the other side of the ball floated a dementor. Without hesitation, he whipped out his wand and shouted, "_Bellus Patronum_!"

A lance of white offensive magic streaked into the cloak of the dementor. The creature released a hair-raising keening howl akin to a banshee, but backed away. Unlike the normal patronus charm, the bellus was offensive in nature. Enough of them could kill a dementor. Not even the Ministry of Magic was incompetent enough to employ creatures they could not destroy if the need presented itself, despite common belief to the contrary.

Trish's soul settled back into her body and she gasped before screaming again, weakly. "Trish, get up!" Jameson shouted. He grabbed her arm and dragged her back toward the front administrative offices. As they approached, he heard shouts of the offensive patronus charm ahead of them and emerged into a scene of chaos.

Four hitwizards were clearly kissed, and another ten were trying their best to hold off the demons. With so many, he didn't bother with offensive magic. "_Expecto Patronum_!"

A mongoose the size of a muggle shopping cart darted out from his wand and slammed into the first line of dementors. The defensive charm pushed the monsters back, giving the struggling survivors a chance to catch their breath. Realizing the bellus spell did not offer any actual protection, the survivors also summoned their defenseive patronuses and pushed the dementors back for a time.

Jameson joined them. "Status?"

"We're it," the assistant warden, John Lockerby, said. "We've lost almost half our staff. The bloody things have turned on us."

The whole castle rocked under a tremendous explosion. "They're just the distraction," Jameson said. "We're not dying in a lost battle. Get everyone into the conference room and start warding the place to hell and back again. We lost this fight before it started—my concern right now is saving lives."

The other hitwizards obviously appreciated Jameson's decision. They all left the administrative offices and ran back further into the maze of rooms until they arrived at the largest interior conference room. It was in the center of the prison and as impregnable, and was originally built as a strong room.

The moment they arrived they closed and sealed the door, and then all twelve of them began warding the room with every Ministry ward they could think of, and a few others to boot. Even before they finished, the castle rumbled as more explosions ripped through its ward lattice.

"Can you feel it?" Lockerby said.

As warden, the prison wards were actually keyed to Jameson, and he could feel those wards dropping one by one, until… "There's nothing left to stop them," he said. The walls around them grew cold to the touch. Though they could not see them, the men and women in the room could feel the dementors testing the wards.

Suddenly a silvery linx jumped through the wall, bypassing the defensive wards. The cold seemed to ebb away. "This is Shacklbolt," the Lynx said. "Aurors are counterattacking. Voldemort has escaped with all followers, we are containing dementors. If you are able, we need assistance."

The patronus flickered away. "Is it a trick?" Trish asked.

"Patronii can't be forced through the _imperius_," Jameson said, having just studied that for his aruror exams. "Bring down the wards. We act as a group. Lockerby, you, Hash, Peets and Grundy on defensive. The rest use the _bellus_ for attack. I'll mark the dementor with a glow spell, concentrate on the dementors one at a time. Ready? Go!"

They brought down the wards and rushed out into a cold hell. A dozen dementors remained in the administrative section of the prison, hoping for more victims. The assistant warden and his group cast their patronus charms while Jameson marked the nearest dementor. The eight remaining witches and wizards shot the offensive patronus spell into the beast, causing it to writhe and cry in agony. It took the eight of them four spells each before the demon seemed to deflate before their eyes into nothing more than a tattered cloak.

Eleven remained, and Jameson's arm was already trembling from the expended magic. Regardless, he marked the next one and started to shout the charm.

The four casting the defensive spells also began to tire. Sensing their weakness, other dementors began to close in until they heard another voice bellow, "_Bellus Patronum_!"

A dementor in the rear of the attacking line unleashed a demonic screech before it exploded before the sheer power of the spell. Jameson had to fight the urge to drop his wand in shock.

A figure emerged from the far door, a figure familiar to all of them.

Albus Dumbledore shimmered with power as he walked into the room. He pointed his wand at a second dementor and again pronounced the charm. The magic he unleashed was easily stronger than anything the surviving hitwizards could have summoned all together, and another dementor died screeching.

The others turned to Dumbledore, momentarily forgetting the hitwizards.

"All offensive, take my target!" Jameson roared.

The twelve of them together struck a dementor. With their increased numbers, they were able to kill the second dementor with only barrages of charms, while Dumbleodre had already destroyed a third. The demons, caught between the two magical forces, attempted to escape only to be blocked off by another pair of aurors brandishing defensive patroni.

Together, they continued to destroy the monsters one at a time, until none remained.

"Where are the rest?" Dumbledore demanded.

"Most likely left with the Dark Lord," Jameson said.

Dumbledore glanced at the warden. "Jameson Patil, class of '85?"

"Yes, sir." Secretly Jameson was proud the man remembered him.

Next to him was Head Auror Kingsly Shacklebolt, who was also looking at Jameson. "Where are the rest of your people?"

"We lost eight in the initial attack," Jameson said. "They took us completely by surprise. Trish here told me of their gathering in the atrium, but before we could do anything they tried to kiss her. I joined up with the others and we retreated to a strong room to hold out for assistance."

"You didn't try to control the situation?" Kingsly asked with a neutral expression.

"With all due respect, sir, we were never going to get control of the situation. There were two hundred dementors and I only had twelve people left. I wasn't going to throw their lives away in a battle we had no hope of winning."

Jameson thought to himself that perhaps being a warden wasn't too bad, since it was obvious he wasn't going to make it to auror. However, Shacklebolt nodded. "That's the first sign of a good strategic thinker—knowing when to attack, when to defend, and when to retreat. Good job, Jameson. If you ever think about leaving the hitwizards…."

"Frankly, sir, I was studying for my exams when the attack occurred."

The other hitwizards stared. Shacklebolt, however, grinned. "Don't bother. Come by the MOM tomorrow and we'll get your sorted out. Good job. Now, let's get all of you out of here. We have another garrison of hitwizards and aurors who will take over. You all look like you need rest."

"I can't argue with you there, sir."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

August 3rd dawned to a clear, muggy day in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Storeowners and office workers along the quay were already out in large numbers in anticipation of the rush of summer tourists. The forecast called for a beautiful sunny day. For this reason, it was with surprise that some of the store owners looked up to see a black cloudbank rolling toward the town. One merchant's son in particular noticed the sudden, inexplicable drop in temperature and gulped. It was a feeling he grew all too familiar with during his second year at Hogwarts.

Colin Creevey turned and ran back into his mum's flower shop. "Mum!" he shouted.

Dorry Creevey stepped out from the back with a few tulips in hand. "What's all the shouting then?"

"We've got to get out of here!" Colin screamed.

"What are you on about?"

"Dementors are coming! They're coming here!"

"I can't see a thing, Colin. Stop joshing about!"

"Mum, you can't see them because you're not a witch, but they're coming!" He ran to the counter and picked up the phone, quickly dialing a number. His mother walked to the window to stare at the admittedly strange cloudbank rolling in. Behind her, she heard her oldest son call out, "Hermione! It's Colin Creevey. Yes, I'm sorry. You've got to contact Professor Dumbledore! Dementors! Yes, dementors! There's a whole cloud coming in. I see ice on the windows, wait… Mum! MOVE!"

Dorry never saw the cold hands that grabbed her, but she felt them. She looked down to see the skin of her arms turn pale white as some unseen force lifted her from the floor. Colin Creevey, who was due to start his fourth year, did not know the patronus charm, or any other magic that could save his mother.

He did know the lumos spell, though. In his terror and desperation, he poured every ounce of magic he had into the wand he pulled from his back pocket, and screamed, "_Lumos maximus_!"

The dementor hissed in anger as the blinding light pierced its cowl. Under the flash of magic light, Dorry Creevey caught a brief glimpse of a living nightmare. She tried to scream, but terror stole her voice just as sure as the dementor wanted to steal her soul.

The cold hands let go and she scrambled to her feet. Her son, only fourteen, stood bravely in front of her with his glowing wand. "Get back!" he cried, shaking with his own fear.

The dementor hovered closer, reaching out for the wizard with skeletal hands.

"_Expecto patronum_!" a voice cried from behind.

A ghostly falcon soared through the store and attacked the dementor's face. The creature made a low moaning sound as it backed away and then fled the store. Colin sagged in relief as a young, pink-haired auror ran into the store. "Any one hurt?"

"No!" Colin said.

"You at Hogwarts?" She was looking at his wand.

"Going to be fourth year. Gryffindor."

"Good on you, mate," the Auror said. "Ma'am, I'm Auror Tonks. I need you and your son to come with me now."

"What's happening?" Dorry Creavey asked in a shaky voice.

"The town is under attack. We're trying to evacuate people as best we can. You're lucky your son was with you. Come, please!"

The two left the flower shop and emerged into what looked like a war zone. "Auror Tonks, there are muggle bobbies!" Colin said.

"They're with us," Tonks said. "Special reaction forces to help keep the situation contained."

Indeed, the uniformed officers were taking the lead in evacuating shaking and terrified civilians from the quay. Though Colin knew his mother and the bobbies could not see it, the black sky overhead was literally swarming with dementors.

Not all the civilians got away, either. The air grew abruptly colder. Tonks turn and shouted, "_Expect patronum_!" again, once more producing a silver falcon that pushed two of the demons away. A nearby clump of aurors, ten in all, turned their wands on the same demon and all started shouting "_Bellus Petronum"_ at the same creature. Their spells did not look like animals, but more like silver lasers that slammed into the dementor.

It screeched in pain while Tonk's falcon continued to keep it from escaping. The ten aurors launched three spells each into it, until the creature exploded.

In the sky overhead, the other dementors began to clump together for a concentrated attack. By then, Colin and his mother reached the ambulances and vans. He did not wait to see the outcome of the battle as he and his mother climbed into a van.

It was only as he got smashed against one window that he noticed bodies. The quay was littered with a dozen or more bodies of men and women, and at least two children, staring sightlessly at the sky.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Minister Amelia Bones sighed and rubbed weary eyes. The desk in her office in Bones Manor was piled with parchment reports of the dementor attacks across the country. The attacks lessoned in intensity each time because of concerted efforts between her DMLE and Scotland Yard, but they were still losing people. In the past two months, fourteen witches, wizards and children had died, in addition to almost sixty muggles.

The Prime Minister was screaming bloody murder, and Amelia did not blame him. Her arrangement with the American Department of Magic helped mollify him to a certain extent. It helped that the American Secretary of Magic was in fact a good friend of hers and let the American President know that they really were doing everything they could.

The problem was the rest of Europe.

France, Bulgaria, and Spain, the old European magical principalities that covered all of Western Europe, had steadfastly refused to take any action to curtail the flow of support from their countries to Voldemort.

In fact, she knew Bulgaria all but supported him, while the ministers of France and Spain were too frightened to take part in any action to curtail him. She alerted the Prime Minister, of course, but there was little muggle authorities could do to stop magical travel, and raising the old Hundred Years War wards was impractical, assuming it was possible at all. For all that bad things were getting through, they also depended on their continental counterparts for trade.

Still, Voldemort himself had not made any direct attacks yet. She was thankful for that.

"Auntie?" She looked over her shoulder to see her niece standing at the door. "It's awfully late. You should get some rest."

"Yes, I know. Go to bed, Susan. I'll be along shortly."

Susan started to say something more when Amelia shot to her feet. She felt a rippling sensation that made the hair on her neck stand on end. "The wards!" she shouted. Both heard the front door explode.

"The safe room, now!" Amelia said. The two women ran out of the office. Amelia noted with pride that even though she was dressed in her night shirt, her niece still had her wand.

They ran down the back hall when they heard a thin, reedy voice calling, "Amelia! I have a surprise for you!"

She ignored her niece's terrified whimper as they reached the disillusioned trap door. She lifted it with a flick of her wand and the two ran down the stairs into the basement of the house. She activated the emergency wards before closing the door.

Susan already used a _lumos_ to light their way down into the basement. Overhead, they could hear feet thudding against the floor, followed by a thunderous crash. Someone tripped an emergency ward.

Though she hoped it was Voldemort himself, in all likelihood it was another who died.

"Auntie?" Susan asked. Her voice was etched in lines of terror, but her wand hand was steady.

"We get to the emergency portkey." The two women made their way through the attic to a small door set in the far wall. It was too small for them to enter standing.

"Dinky?" Amelia called.

The Bones house elf appeared, visibly trembling. "Missus, bad wizards in the house!" she whispered.

"We know. We need the portkey."

"Portkey no good," Dinky said, shaking now much like a Chihuahua. "Bad wizards put wards over house."

Amelia sighed. "Dinky, I need you to go to Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore what is happening, then to the Ministry to alert Kingsley Shacklebolt. Can you do that?"

"Yes, missus."

Dinky disappeared with a snap of her fingers. Overhead, the house shook from another explosion. Amelia opened the door and crawled through on her hands and knees into the safe room, with Susan right at her heels.

The room served ordinarily as Winky's bedroom and was coated in odd trinkets from the house and grounds. But it was set within solid granite and reinforced with wards sufficient to hold off any attack, at least for a time. Moreover, the door was disillusioned by elf magic—only Amelia as Dinky's master could see it.

Suddenly a new sound penetrated the depths of the house. It was a roaring sound, much like a tornado. Only everything grew warm, even the granite walls. "Auntie, what is happening?" Susan asked.

"Fiendfyre," Amelia said grimly. "Don't worry, Susan. We'll get a little hot, but the safe room will hold. I hope you don't mind sleeping in the Ministry for a while, though. I doubt we'll have a house left when this is over."

Buoyed by her aunt's courage, Susan scooted over until she nestled in Amelia's arm. Together, the two women settled down to wait out their attackers, while overhead Bones Manor burned.

* * *

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sp

Thank you for reading.


	37. Surprise

I apologize, but there won't be any review responses for the previous chapter. This has been an incredibly hectic week and I'm lucky to even get this post off. Hopefully next weekend will be better.

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Surprise **

On the day Harry and Ginny were expected to return, everyone was gathered at Grimmauld Place, waiting nervously.

And by everyone, Rosie thought, she meant every person in Harry and Ginny's life.

The entire Weasley family was there, including a new addition in the form of a stunningly beautiful, exceedingly French half-veela who had managed to attach herself to Bill Weasley over the summer.

Rosie tried not to laugh at the way the oldest Weasley son preened under her attention. In the seven years of his attending school and dating young witches, she'd never seen the man so smitten as he was now.

The Granger girl was there as well, and spent much of breakfast telling the youngest Weasley male how to eat. Rosie knew the dynamic well—in fact it reminded her great deal of how Celene Elders trained Xenophilius Lovegood for their last two years of Hogwarts, until she thought he was sufficiently trained to be a good husband.

She doubted either of the teens saw it, but she caught Molly looking at them once in a while with a mother's gleam in her eye. Then she would meet Rosie's stare, blush, and look away.

Rosie sighed. Molly did not like her, and resented the fact that a former prostitute and barmaid was now the Lady Black, managing a household and estate larger than anything the last ten generations of Weasleys had seen combined. She most especially did not like the fact that Rosie helped Harry and Ginny the previous year with their sex problems, and had a role in the young couple's lives.

Fortunately, Sirius and Remus were there as well, bantering like the life-long friends they were. The banter between them and the Weasley twins was sufficient to keep Molly's thoughts off Harry and Ginny's new godmother.

Although Dumbledore was still meeting with Minister Bones over the devastating spate of attacks all summer, Professor McGonagall was there, along with Poppy Pomfrey.

Rose and Poppy's eyes met briefly and the two women smiled warmly. Diametrically opposed in philosophy and experience, their mutual concern over Harry and Ginny helped them form an unusual bond of friendship anyway. The mediwitch planned to stay only long enough to give Harry and Ginny a cursory inspection to ensure they were healthy.

They ate a brunch together, filling the house with laughter and family talk. It was only partly forced, since the Weasley's were a rambunctious group no matter what the circumstances. However, a shadow of fear hung over everyone. If Voldemort had the gall to attack and come close to killing the Minister of Magic herself, who was truly safe?

All conversation stopped when a chime ward announced visitors. Sirius was first up, running toward the door like a mere boy. The others stood and left the kitchen to see if it was Harry and Ginny.

Instead, it was Dumbledore and, surprisingly, the Minister of Magic. Amelia smiled warmly at Sirius as she and her niece stepped in after the headmaster. "I hope you don't mind," she said. "Susan wanted to see them and, well, I thought it would be nice for her to be in a proper house with friends and family. It'll be a month or two before Bones Manor is rebuilt."

"You're both welcome," Sirius said with unusual grace. Rose knew it was because Amelia was one of the only people in the ministry that her husband absolutely respected. In terms of his animagus form, which really did have an impact on his personality, Amelia Bones was the absolute alpha of his pack, and he would follow her to hell and back if she asked. Moreover, it was not a romantic relationship in the least. Sirius viewed Amelia as an alpha male in a woman's body.

Rosie cheered him on every step he took with Amelia. She too admired their minister, and stepped forward in the role of hostess just as Andy Tonks had instructed. "We're honored to see you, Minister. Little Susie, not so little any more, are we?"

Susan blushed prettily. "Are Harry and Ginny here yet?"

"Not yet, lass. But we have a nice brunch buffet in the dining room if you'd care to join us. You as well, headmaster."

"Thank you, Madam Black," Dumbledore said. "That would be lovely."

With the introduction of the three new people, conversation turned somewhat more serious. The situation was unusual in that the two most powerful people in wizarding Britain were eating a casual brunch with an auror captain, his wife, a ministry department head, and a horde of children who were all a little older and wiser than they should have been.

In the months following Voldemort's raid on Azkaban, the dementors attacked five locations around the country. Fortunately, the MoM and Scotland Yard established rapid reaction groups and were able to intercede quickly before too many casualties occurred. The obliviator squads were on the verge of complete exhaustion, but so far they were able to maintain the secrecy statutes. If the statutes were broken, then there would be international repercussions and penalties assessed against Magical Britain from the ICW.

The attack on Bones Manor was huge news, but the fact that Amelia and Susan survived the attack made it seem more a victory than a loss. At least, that's how the MoM was spinning it.

"The giants in the West Country were the biggest surprise," Amelia admitted. "We're not sure how he was able to bring them down from the reservation in Iceland so fast, but he unleashed three of the beasts."

Sirius, who was there, nodded. "On the other hand, we learned that in some cases muggle weapons can hurt giants better than magic."

"I hadn't heard about this," Arthur, the consummate muggle-lover, said. "What happened?"

"The PM has created a rapid reaction force of squibs in the army to assist us whenever trouble bleeds outside magical areas," Amelia explained. "This is supplementing the Scotland Yard group. When we identified the threat as giants, the MOD dispatched a pair of…what were they, Sirius?"

"Apache attack helicopters," Sirius said. "Dobby, can you bring me the muggle model?"

Dobby appeared a moment later with an intricate die-cast model of the attack ship. Sirius handed it over to a fascinated Arthur. "The thing is as loud as you can imagine, but it flies like a giant flying carpet filled to the brim with muggle weapons. It had this cannon at the front that shoots bullets this wide around." The space between his index finger and thumb was almost two inches. "And it shoots out hundreds of them in a second. I mean, sure, giants have thick skin, but after the first few shots, the bullets were starting to hurt the beasts."

"Then they shot their missiles," Amelia said.

Sirius's eyes glazed. "They were things of beauty."

"Between our two forces were able to kill the giants before the civilians experienced any casualties," Amelia said with a touch of pride. "But the risk remains."

"Now that he and his foremost supporters have been identified, and his supporters assets seized, he has become much more aggressive," Dumbledore sad. "And yet there is also a touch of desperation in his actions. Normally he is a meticulous planner. It is a testament to your work, Amelia, that he has yet to wholly succeed in any one of his attacks."

"I do appreciate your help with pushing the funding through," Amelia said.

Dumbledore shrugged. "The least I can do, my dear."

Everyone sat up when they heard the front door open and then close. An instant later Dobby appeared, trembling and bouncing on his feet. "Mister Harry Potter is here! Mister Harry Potter is here!" He disappeared a moment later.

Rosie watched as her husband jumped to his feet, only to be bowled over by Molly Weasley. Rosie knew the initial rush would be bad and so stayed right where she was. She noted most of the others did as well.

They all appeared to be ready to wait, until they heard Molly scream, followed by the dull thud of a body falling on the floor.

"Oh dear," Arthur said. "Better go see what the fuss is abou…." He stopped and stared slack-jawed. Rosie turned and half rose to her feet.

Harry and Ginny stood before them, taller and more tanned than any two months could account for. In fact, they looked closer to sixteen and fifteen than their actual years of fifteen and fourteen. But the true shock, and the obvious source of Molly's fainting spell, was the bundle cradled in Ginny's arms.

The young couple looked nervously at Arthur Weasley. With understated determination, Ginny said, "Daddy, would you like to meet your grandson?"

Arthur Weasley pushed himself slowly to his feet and wove his way through his stunned family until he stood before them. As he approached, he noticed each still had the heterochromia that had marked them from the beginning of their extended summer vacation. He also noticed that each of them had grown. Harry was now only a few inches shorter than Arthur himself, and Ginny appeared to have added two inches as well.

His mind continued to pick out details of his daughter and her husband until at last he could avoid it no longer, and he looked down at the baby in her arms. He felt a sudden, indefinable rush of emotions as Ginny handed the bundle over.

"How?" he asked as he stared down at the perfect child. "It's only been two months."

"A time room," Harry explained. "It made time pass a lot faster for us than the rest of the world. We spent a week in there for every day in the rest of the world. Fortunately, it was a big room and we had other things to keep us busy."

"When did you…"

Ginny looked down at the baby with a smile. "He saved us, Daddy. Little James Orion Potter saved our lives."

"I don't…"

"Arthur," Dumbledore said from the chair he had yet to rise from, "what was happening to Harry and Ginny earlier this summer was a result of their bond being damaged by Harry's death. With the creation of new life, and the merging of their soul energy to create a new soul, they have mended that damage. Giving birth to that child quite literally saved their bond, and hence their lives."

Arthur stared at the headmaster. "Did you know this was going to happen?"

"I had a strong suspicion. I will speak with them further, but I suspect they are under oaths not to discuss their recent experiences except to a select few."

Harry nodded.

Arthur looked back down to examine the baby. It was obviously still only a few days old, but even so he had a shock full of black hair just like his father, but with an occasional red highlight that hinted he still carried the Weasley's red hair in his blood.

The baby opened its eyes briefly, and Arthur sucked in a breath. They were not the blue of a newborn. They were heterochromic just like his parents.

"We think that will fade as he gets older," Ginny said quickly. "They look that way because of us and the…well, the magic around his birth."

"He is magical," Arthur said, just looking at the child. "How much did he weigh?"

"Six pounds," Ginny said. "Are you…are you mad?"

Arthur looked up, stunned. "Why would I be mad? My beautiful daughter has given me a beautiful, handsome grandson." His voice actually cracked. "How could I be mad?"

"Least you didn't faint," Harry muttered.

"I'm saving that for later," Arthur said, pleased to see his quip got them both to smile. "I see that you're speaking better as well."

Harry looked his father in law in the eye and nodded. "Everything has stabilized. There won't be any more changes. We…we received a lot of help this summer from a couple that went through the same thing. They taught us a lot about what we can expect."

Arthur watched as the young man's attention shifted to Dumbledore. "Thank you for contacting them for us."

"I felt I had no choice but to try," the old wizard said. "I owe you too much."

Arthur saw his wife enter. Her hair was mussed and she still had a glassy-eyed look. Sirius, bless his soul, was holding her arm. She walked stiffly to stand beside her husband. "Molly," he said, "I'm very pleased to introduce you to our grandson, James Orion Potter. He may very well be the most beautiful baby I have ever seen—and I've seen my share."

"May I hold him?" Molly asked.

"I'd love you to," Ginny said.

Molly looked her daughter in the eyes, and the two Weasley women just stared at each other for moment before Arthur handed the baby over. Molly took the newborn with a sure, practiced hand, bouncing it as it made an upset little gurgle.

"He was six pounds," Arthur said.

"So small?" Molly asked. "Ginny was over seven pounds. Bill was nine."

Ginny winced. "He was big enough, thank you."

Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. "He's perfect, Ginny." He leaned down to hug her, and was gratified to feel her hug him back firmly.

"Are you kids hungry?" Rosie finally asked.

"Ohhh, yes!" Ginny said, showing the first flash of spirit since their return. Her eyes saw the pile of eggs and bacon; almost upon her first look Harry was fetching a pair of plates. The twins quickly gave up their seats and were rewarded with a smile as Harry piled on a huge amount of food on one plate, then a normal serving in the other.

He sat before the normal serving, while Ginny came around and laid into her pile almost like Ron.

Her brothers watched her eat with wide eyes, until they heard their father chuckling. "Get used to it, boys. Witch's milk is not quite like a muggle woman's. It is infused with magic as well as nutrients. And for that, Ginny is going to have a hefty appetite for quite a while."

Across from Ron, Hermione watched with the same dazed expression as the others, until she blinked. "What was that about witch's milk? I've never heard that."

"That's because Hogwarts doesn't teach you about it until your fifth year," Rosie said.

Madam Pomfrey smiled. "Yes, it's true. As a fifth year, you'll be attending a seminar about the differences between muggle women and witches."

"There can't be that many differences," Hermione said. "My mother is muggle, but I'm a witch. Obviously I'm healthy."

"It's magic, Miss Granger," Pomfrey said. "It infuses every part of your body. For instance, when you marry a wizard, should you choose to do so, your menses will shift to increase the odds of fertility on your wedding night as a result of your wedding bond. This has been exhaustively observed and confirmed. Additionally, you will experience a lessoning of magical power during pregnancy, but will become virtually immune from all known magical or muggle illnesses as your magic shifts from outward focus to inner protection."

"And labor is a pain," Ginny muttered between bites.

"It always is," Hermione said.

"Accidental magic between mum and child," Harry explained.

By then Molly had taken her seat and was cooing at the baby, thoroughly lost in grandmum land. However, Arthur heard the last and looked up in surprise. "The baby was giving off accidental magic? So young?"

"He absorbed some of ours in the womb," Harry said. "When he was being born, he unleashed it. Ginny about screamed when he turned me into an emu."

"Thank Merlin they changed you back so fast," Ginny muttered. "I couldn't take anything for the pain because of the magic. And it took a week."

This brought Molly out of her daze. "You were in labor for a week?"

"I was still a little young to have a baby," Ginny admitted with a sad smile. "But I'm glad we did. The…the compulsions stopped as soon as we got pregnant. In fact, everything changed when we got pregnant."

"We don't have to touch at night any more," Harry explained. "The bond has fully stabilized. The pain is finally gone."

That seemed to be her cue; Pomfrey stood and started running diagnostic spells over the two of them. "You still share a common soul," she noted. "However, it is…a very powerful soul. And completely untainted or unharmed." She then looked at them physically. "And my scans do confirm you are older than you should be by nine months."

She walked over to the baby and ran a few spells on it. "And little James here is as perfectly health a babe as I've ever seen."

"Poppy," Dumbledore said, "if Mr. and Mrs. Potter do not object, could you run a core test on the child?"

"He's top percentile," Harry said.

Poppy looked from Harry to Dumbledore, and then performed the test. None there could decipher the strange colors save Poppy herself. She straightened with pursed lips. "He's more than top percentile, Mr. Potter. As far as I know he is the top, period. His core is the largest infant magical core every recorded in England, unless one came in the past two years I didn't know about."

"That's from us again," Ginny said. "There was a lot of magic going on around us."

"Yes, that might do it. The two of you are…well, let's say that you have a great deal of potential."

"You have no idea," Dumbledore said, though softly enough only Arthur could hear him.

Molly finally looked up from the baby, misty-eyed. "Ginny, Harry, he's absolutely beautiful. I… I do think you were young for this, but I understand. It was so bad this summer, and if bringing this beautiful boy into the world helped you, then that makes us doubly blessed."

She then pointedly turned to a blushing Bill and an obviously fascinated Fleur Delacour. "And he had better not be the only grandchild I have."

Fleur blinked, while Bill blushed again.

Ron, however, completely missed the gaze. "Blimey, mum, I'm only fifteen."

Laughter broke the moment as Ron realized he was not the target of the statement.

That evening, Hermione wandered Grimauld Place quietly. She was staying the night since they were going to all go together to do their shopping together the next day.

Seeing Harry and Ginny holding the baby brought up a host of very strange and foreign emotions within Hermione. One she did recognize was jealously, but she couldn't figure out who she was jealous of.

She was passing by the parlor when she heard a happy gurgle. She stuck her head in to make sure it was not coming from Harry and Ginny, and thankfully found the couple curled up next to each other. Ginny's shirt was pulled up and she was feeding the baby.

Both must have sensed her, since she didn't actually make a sound. "You can come in," Harry said softly, so as not to disturb the baby.

Hermione walked in, uncertain she should be there, but drawn by the sight of the baby latched onto Ginny's breast. Cautiously, she sat on the other side of the couch next to Ginny. The only light was magical lamp, and the flickering fireplace.

Almost of its own accord, her hand reached out to feel the silky black hair. The baby jerked back to reveal Ginny's nipple with a pearl of milk hanging from it. "Ohh, I'm sorry," Hermione whispered.

Ginny shrugged her shoulder, passing her nipple across the baby's lips. It immediately latched back on, reaching a hand blindly to rest against the pale, vein-filled skin.

Hermione could barely understand the moisture in her eyes. "It's so beautiful," she said. She was not talking about just James; but about the sight of watching him feed.

"We want you to be his godmother, if you're willing," Harry said.

The moisture welled into true tears that she wiped away with a sniff. "I would be honored," she said. "I…what does it feel like, Ginny?"

Ginny looked back with relaxed, half-lidded eyes. "When he latches on properly, it feels like magic," she said. She sounded almost…dopey. As if… "It's like a potion almost. I can feel him pulling on my milk and magic at the same time. And it feels so wonderful. When I'm feeding him, I don't worry about anything. Nothing matters but Harry and James."

Hermione was going to mention the effect of oxytocin, but then thought better of it. For once, she realized this was not a time for rational explanations. It was true, genuine magic like she had never seen before; the magic that came from a mother to her child. So she simply sat with her closest friends and stared at the miracle before her.

The baby abruptly let off the breast.

"He's finally full," Ginny smiled. She took a small napkin, wiped herself and then adjusted her shirt. "Would you like to burp him?"

"I…how?"

Harry handed her a small towel. "Put that over your shoulder. Make sure to cradle his head—he still doesn't have a lot of neck strength yet."

Hermione watched how Ginny cradled the child and did the same. She was surprised at how very small and light the baby was. He looked up at her with his strangely mismatched eyes that were just like his parents, and grinned.

"He's smiling at me!" Hermione said.

"I think he has…" Ginny stopped when they heard a _squish-squirt_.

"Ahhh…." Hermione started to get worried, but then heard Harry chuckle.

"You know what the best thing about magic is I've ever seen?"

"What?" Hermione asked, on the verge of panic.

"Banishing diapers. He's had that same diaper on all day. We'll wash it tomorrow, but it banishes everything. They sell them in Diagon Alley."

"Like Huggies only better," Hermione said. With Ginny's prompting she gently placed the baby on her shoulder and patted his back.

Not much later, he burped and then stopped moving. "Is he…"

"He's asleep," Harry said. He stood and then gently took the baby from Hermione's shoulder. He disappeared from the parlor, leaving the two witches alone.

"He's so beautiful," Hermione said.

Ginny nodded, and then leaned over until she hugged Hermione. The older girl was surprised at first, but returned it soon enough. "Are you…is everything okay now?"

Ginny leaned back and nodded, and then wiped her eyes. "He's going to be our only one, Hermione. At least this century."

Hermione blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Something we learned. Something we had to do to survive. We made our own philosopher's stone. We used my placenta, our blood, and some blood from James's foot. And when the stone was complete, Harry and I both became infertile until we die and are reborn again. Then we'll have to have another child, and make another stone."

Hermione stared at her friend for the longest time before she said, "You were with Nicholas Flamel, weren't you?"

"He and Perenelle have five stones. In six and a half centuries, they managed to have only seven children through seven deaths, and only created stones for the last five. The stones are fused with our blood and magic. The stone cements the bonds of blood and magic we share. When Harry dies, the stone will help either revive his old body or create a new one for him, and the same when I die. But then the stone will crack, and we'll become fertile again. But the compulsion will also begin again until I'm pregnant. It'll happen every time. It was worse for us this time, though, because I was on a birth control potion and charms."

Hermione was doing her very best to process what she was hearing. "Ginny, does this mean…does this mean you and Harry are immortal?"

"I don't know if we'll live forever, but it means that neither of us can die as long as the other survives. Only if we both die at the same time would we truly die."

"That's…that's remarkable."

Hermione almost jumped when Harry sat right beside her, and then relaxed when he placed an arm around her shoulder. For one brief, split second she let herself imagine his arms being her place. She then viciously bit the surge of emotion down. Still, he continued to hug her, and she felt a second pair of arms around her as Ginny also hugged her too.

"We're telling you, and you alone," Harry said. "Not Ron, not our families. Dumbledore already knows. We had permission to tell one friend we both trust in case we ever need help, and that's you. You are our best friend. We love you so much, Hermione, that we don't want to ever not have you in our lives. You won't just be James's godmother, you're going to be his aunt. His big sister. Just like you'll be our sister. We're telling you because we trust you more than any other person in the world."

The compliment and trust was enough to make Hermione tear up again. "I love you too," she said softly.

Note:

For those who asked not to see Ginny pregnant, well, I did grant the wish. At no point did we ever see her pregnant. Never said anything about no choice, though.


	38. The Train Gang

Author's responses to Chap 37 reviews and comments were posted to my forums. Please take a look as there are some important notes at the end regarding story status.

I apologize for the delay in posting. This have been really, really busy. Hopefully better late than never is still true.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Train Gang**

When they gathered in their old cabin on the train to Hogwarts, it felt almost like that first ride together as friends at the end of their first year.

Harry and Ginny were smiling and acting more normal than Hermione could remember. They were talking separately and paying attention to separate conversations. Harry was talking quidditch with Ron, who was taking his student coaching responsibilities very seriously.

Ginny was discussing thestrals with Luna Lovegood, who seemed unusually composed and…well, sane. Neville, on the other hand, was worried about his new prefect duties and kept going over the list with Hermione in preparation for their prefect meeting, which was due to start in a few minutes.

Everything felt right.

Ginny knew that little James Orion Potter was still at Grimauld Place and would arrive at Hogwarts by floo that night. The headmaster agreed that the train would not be the best place for a baby. Word would eventually get out, of course, but they wanted to be at the castle before it happened.

So for that moment, six close friends enjoyed their time together. No Malfoys bothered them because no male Malfoys survived. In fact, four fifth years, half of the sixth year, and almost all of the seventh year Slytherin students were not returning. This was not Dumbledore's decision; it was the Ministry of Magic's. Minister Bones cowed the Board of Governors into banning the children of identified Death Eaters age fifteen or older because of the involvement of Draco Malfoy in Harry's abduction last year.

Of course, everyone knew many of them were marked Death Eaters already. Still, a part of Hermione wished they gave the children second chances. She had a hard time believing that fourteen and fifteen-year-old teens were such hardened criminals that, if given a chance, they wouldn't be willing to choose the light over the dark. She discounted the fact that she herself was only fifteen.

After an hour or so, conversations settled into companionable silence as the friends considered the upcoming year. Things seemed so very different, with both hope and fear for the future weighing on all of them.

"So…" Neville finally began, and Hermione knew he was going to broach the question on everyone else's mind. "You two seem to be doing a lot better."

"Yeah," Harry agreed easily.

"Can you talk about it?"

"We completed our animagus forms!" Ginny said brightly.

And thus the discussion was effectively redirected, Hermione thought.

"What are you?" Luna asked.

"Well," Harry said with a blush, "nothing really that cool. I wanted to be a black panther and she wanted to be a hawk."

"So what are you?" Neville asked.

"We're deer," Ginny said with an embarrassed giggle. "Fallow deer. Harry has a very attractive set of antlers."

"Deer?" Ron asked, nonplussed. "Magical deer at least?"

"No, just deer," Harry admitted.

"What's it like?" Hermione asked.

"Really strange," Harry said. "And let me tell you, that first transformation hurt like the dickens, and it took almost a week before I could figure out how to walk right. The animal instincts only come after your human side has adjusted to the new body, and that takes a while."

"Speak for yourself, I was running in a day."

"Liar," Harry said with a grin. "You were…."

"Well, yeah, but…"

The others watched and realized that, though the two were much better, some aspects of their relationship had no changed. Hermione smiled at that—somehow it just seemed right that they could still communicate silently.

Her thoughts were shattered when Luna said, "So where is your baby?"

Neville stammered. "Baby?"

Harry looked from Luna to Ginny, and then held out his hand. Ginny flushed before she reached into the pocket of her slacks to pull a galleon, which she then gave to him. The red-head turned to her oldest friend and said, "How on Earth did you know?"

"Well, you're surrounded by nettlepick fairies who are attracted to witch's milk. Also, you're breasts are much too large and your hips have widened too much for your age. How old are you now, anyway?"

They all saw Neville staring with a gaping jaw at Ginny's swollen chest before he managed to close his mouth. "You really have a baby?"

"We'll introduce you tonight," Ginny promised.

"You might say having him saved our lives," Harry said.

"You have a baby?" Neville said again, as if lost.

"Do you want one?" Luna asked the startled boy.

Neville stammered. "Err, no! I mean, not now. Maybe later, when I'm old!"

"Like twenty five?" Harry said.

"Yeah, old like twenty-five!"

Ginny, inexplicably, started laughing. Harry chuckled too, while the rest looked on in confusion. The confusion only made the young parents laugh harder.

All laughter halted when the train gave a sudden, unexpected lurch and slowed to a grinding halt. The kids looked up as a worried-looking auror stuck his head in the door. "All students stay in your cabins!" he shouted before moving to the next cabin.

"Wonder what's going on?" Neville asked.

His answer came in the form of frost creeping across the window. "Dementors," Harry hissed.

Ginny looked about the cabin. "Does anyone know the patronus charm?"

Four heads shook in answer. "That's advanced magic, they don't teach it until NEWTs and even then it's not required," Hermione said.

The six of them heard a strangled scream, followed by more screams. Harry and Ginny shared a long look before they stood. "Stay in the cabin," they said.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked shrilly.

"We're going to help," Harry said.

"The auror said…" but the young couple was already gone.

"I'm going to with them!" Ron declared.

He stood to leave, until Luna said, "If you go, you'll die."

Ron paused and turned to stare. Luna stared right back. "You are not powerful enough to help them."

"And they are?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked.

"I can see it in them. Together, they're as powerful as Nicholas and Paranelle Flamel themselves."

The comparison started Hermione with its accuracy. She turned to Ron and said, softly, "Don't leave me."

He appeared fully capable of ignoring Luna's warning, but at Hermione's words Ron's shoulders slumped. Nodding, he sat back down without a word.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Sirius Black was on the train, of course. He was actually commanding a squad of twenty aurors assigned to security for magical Britain's most precious cargo. Both he and Minister Bones realized that an attack on the train was almost inevitable.

The dementors came in a rolling black cloud, and as far as he could see every one of the foul creatures left in England joined the assault. The train's protective wards immediately started to shimmer under the attack.

At the front, Shacklebolt was doing his best to remove the rockslide that blocked the track and set the stage for the ambush.

Sirius led his fellow aurors to the top of the train. They were clumped in groups of three—one to perform the patronus shield, the other two to fire the bellum spell.

The dementors swarmed, pushing against the patronus charmed shields with increasing violence. Aurors cried out in pain and terror, but still they held against the first onslaught while their fellows fired the offensive patronus with limited effect. It took Sirius ten spells with his partner before the first dementor exploded in a puff of black smoke and a falling, tattered robe.

Naturally, the death eaters chose that moment to launch their own attack. They came on brooms. There were, Sirius saw quickly, only ten of them, but those ten were enough. They flew right over the roof of the train cars amidst the still swarming dementors, shouting out blasting charms and hexes. Explosions ripped up and down the roofs, breaking up the auror teams and forcing them to the narrow rocky spaces on either side of train.

Sirius landed next to a junior auror fresh out of training and called to her to get up, but saw quickly the young witch would not rise again. She stared at him with glassy, dead eyes while blood seeped from the massive wound covering the side of her head.

"Damn!" He stood and screamed out, "_Bellus patronum!"_

Fueled by rage and anger, the spell slammed into a dementor that was bending over a stunned and injured auror. The creature reared up and away in pain. Even with all his power, Sirius was not powerful enough to kill the beast.

Overhead, the Death Eaters were coming around for another pass. Not a single auror besides himself had regained their feet.

Suddenly he heard a pair of voices shout out, "_Ulciscor!"_

The air in front of the oncoming Death Eaters shimmered. The broom-mounted witches and wizards obviously did not hear the spell, or know what it was, since it was far from common. The effects, though, were spectacular. Ten Death Eaters flying at fifty to sixty miles per hour slammed into a wall of air compressed into the tensile strength of granite at full speed.

Blood splattered against the invisible field as brooms and people alike snapped. Sirius heard voices, mostly male with only one or two women, scream for a moment before they all spilled down to the top of the train carriage, and from there to the rocky ground. They collapsed brokenly, the whole lot of them.

Harry and Ginny climbed onto the roof of the train. Sirius watched with equal parts awe, shock and terror as all the dementors rose up in a cloud around them, swirling with eagerness to consume the most powerful soul any of them had likely ever encountered.

"_Expecto patronum!"_ Ginny cried.

A massive silver fallow dear with an impressive spread of antlers emerged and then flattened into a dome of the same color just as the dementors attacked. They bounced harmlessly off the single most powerful patronus Sirius had ever encountered.

Then Harry struck. _"Bellus patronum!_"

An arm-thick beam of white magic struck a nearby dementor. It screeched for just a second before it exploded. Harry immediately targeted a second: "_Bellus patronum!"_

One after the other, with greater power than the whole auror detail combined, Harry started killing dementors while Ginny shielded him. Sirius became aware of other surviving aurors climbing to their feet and watching in shock as two young teens did what all twenty failed to do.

"Are we going to let my godson get all the glory?" Sirius demanded. "All together, follow my marker spell."

The ten aurors on their feet followed Sirius's red marker spell and fired the offensive spell together. Their combined strength killed the first one after only two volleys. The next they had to fire the spell three times each. All the while Harry continued to shout out the spell with amazing results, while Ginny maintained the patronus shield over the two of them.

Suddenly there were no more dementors. Sirius stumbled in exhaustion; one of the younger aurors simply folded up. Even through his tiredness, though, Sirius had enough awareness to keep his eyes on the roof of the train. He saw Harry and Ginny fall into each other's arms, and then toppled right off the roof of the carriage.

"_Arresto momentum!_" Sirius called, catching the two a second before they slammed into the stony Earth.

Kingsley stumbled up from the front of the train, disheveled and bloody enough to show he had fought the enemies as well. He saw the entwined young couple as well. "That was them?" he asked.

Sirius nodded wordless. "Patil, you up?"

"Yeah," came a tired reply from Svrivisan Patil, newly minted auror and former hitwizard.

"How many down?"

"Shaw's dead, so is Davidson. Myra's…she's been kissed, Captain. Looks like Longs, Haversham, Kuykendall and Bjordson too. Four more injured in the blasting curses but otherwise alive."

Just then student faces began to appear in the windows. Sirius stepped back and using the _sonorus_ announced: "I need all prefects out here now!"

Twenty-four students clambered out of the train, including Hermione and Neville. "For the remainder of the trip to Hogswards, you are all deputized. You are to patrol the train with a tight hand. I will remain with you as well, but I have wounded."

"What happened?" a sixth-year Hufflepuff asked.

It was Cedric, seventh year and newly appointed head boy, who answered. "Seems easy enough." He pointed to Harry and Ginny. "Those two saved all our arses, that's what happened."

Sirius chuckled. "Truer words have yet to be spoken. Granger, you and Longbottom take those two inside. They're probably done for the day, I'd wager. The rest of you, Diggory here's in charge. Cedric, if anyone gives you any trouble, I want you to petrify or stun them until we get to the castle. I'll not tolerate any fights of foolishness, not after loosing six good aurors defending your lives."

All the prefects blanched as their eyes, almost as one, flitted to the unmoving bodies in auror robes.

"You have it, Captain Black," Diggory said with steel in his voice. "All right you lot, five prefects to a car. We'll have one of us in every cabin if necessary. Let's go!"

With that the prefects started back onto the train. Sirius stumbled tiredly over to where Hermione and Neville were checking on Harry and Ginny. "How are they?"

"Sleeping," Hermione said, sounding nonplussed. "They are amazing, aren't they?"

"They really are," Sirius agreed. "Can you get them in the train?"

Hermione levitated the pair while Neville clambered up and then took over the spell, guiding the two into the car. When he was gone, Hermione turned to Sirius and unexpectedly hugged him.

"Thank you for protecting us," she said with a tear in her eye. She stepped back, smiled at him, and then turned to follow after.

Sirius remained in his spot as Svrivisan Patil stepped up beside him. "Did you see how many dementors he killed? I was at Azkaban when they first turned. Dumbledore came in and was able to kill like that, but not so fast."

"Together those two make quite the team," Sirius said. He turned to the young auror. "You did well. I want you, Pikes and Smythe to handle the Death Eater bodies. Kingsley will be taking the wounded and lost back to the ministry by portkey. Reinforcements should be here shortly. But we need to get those kids to the school."

"Yes, sir."

Sirius placed a hand on the young man's shoulder a moment in silent appreciation, and then climbed on board the train himself. Moments later, the Hogwarts Express began moving once more, taking it out of the narrow, rocky gorge where the ambush happened.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

The entire staff waited at Hogsmead for the train. Kingsley's patronus lynx had warned Dumbledore of the attack, and of Harry and Ginny's role in defending the train against it. Still, Dumbledore could not hide his anger when he saw the blasted roofs and damaged carriages as the train pulled into the station.

Beside him, McGonagall sucked in an angry breath, while Charity Burbage and Bathsheba Babbling both gasped in alarm. Cedric Diggory, with his headboy badge, was already hanging out of the train before it even came to a full stop.

"Madam Pomfrey!" he called. "We have some injured students."

"How many?"

"Twelve. We gathered them all in this car. Worst are in the first two cabins, the rest could probably get to the castle with help."

"I'll help," McGonagall said. Dumbledore nodded in appreciation as Professors Vector, Sprout and Sinistra all stepped in line to help as well.

Only then did Snape appear, pale and sweating. "Well, my friend?"

"_He_ was not pleased," Snape said with a tremor in his voice.

Dumbledore looked at his young potions master and noticed with alarm how the man's hands shook. "Are you well?"

Snape snorted. "As well as can be after having to deliver such news to the Dark Lord. If it were not for the fact I did not even know of the attack, he would think me a spy. He is sure someone must have leaked word of it. He lost ten Death Eaters, including both Rudolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, who led the attack."

Dumbledore nodded. "Go back to the castle and take a restorative, my friend. Do not worry about the opening feast tonight."

"Thank you." Snape turned and stumbled as he walked away.

When Dumbledore returned his attention to the train, he noticed Diggory assisting the professors in moving the injured students, while prefects kept the rest of the students out of the way. Though the attack angered him, the sight of such cooperation and determination from the student leaders filled him with hope.

From the midst of the activity came a clearly exhausted Sirius Black. "Albus," he said.

"Sirius," the headmaster said. "Tell me what happened?"

"Dementors and death eaters," the auror captain said with a grim shrug. "The dementors came first so we climbed onto the roof for the standard defense, when death eaters attacked on brooms. We had our hands full with the dementors and were sitting ducks for the blasting curses. I lost six people, with another four injured. They're back at the ministry."

"What happened after?"

"Harry and Ginny," Sirius said. "Harry killed almost fifty dementors by his own wand. He and Ginny also used that dragon-warding spell you taught him to take out all ten Death Eaters. If it weren't for losing good people, I'd say it was a thing of beauty."

Dumbledore nodded, trying to hide his disapproval that Harry and Ginny fought. "Where are they now?"

"Passed out, probably with magical exhaustion. Longbottom and Granger will be bringing them out after all the injured." Black stared at the headmaster. "We would have all died without them, Albus. Think about that. Those two saved our lives. They are parents now. And they've received the best training this summer you could ever hope for. I think it's time for the prophecy. I've waited, but the time has come."

Dumbledore looked back at the train and the students now moving toward the carriages, since the injured were safely removed. In the back, he saw four familiar faces levitating a bundle wrapped in school robes like blankets. He caught a flash of red hair from the bundle.

"Perhaps," he said slowly, "you are right, Sirius. Perhaps you are right."

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Thank you for reading!


	39. Prophesy, Schmofesy

Sorry for the delay. I will have to go back to bi-weekly posting until I have the new ending draft. I apologize for that. Please also note Chapter 38 review responses are in my forums as usual. Thank you.

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**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Prophecy, Schmofesy**

Harry was surprised to find himself in familiar quarters. A moment later, Ginny's eyes popped open.

They were in their old room at Hogwarts. Only, as the two disentangled themselves and looked around, they could see some differences. For one, a new door occupied the stretch of wall between their desks. Ginny stood on tired, shaky legs and opened it.

_Harry, do you see?_

He saw through her eyes a small nursery, complete with their new crib, a matching changing table and a plush, comfortable-looking rocking chair. The baby's clothes and nappies were already in the small wardrobe.

Harry for his part walked on exhausted legs to the bathroom. The attack took every ounce of their combined magic, in a way neither had experienced since their bond stabilized. It left them awake but tired and shaky.

He stripped out of his dirty muggle clothes, since neither he nor Ginny had a chance to change, and slipped into the large garden tub with a sigh. A moment later Ginny joined him, snuggling into her place.

They did not talk; both were still too tired and so instead just bounced memories back and forth. Not just of the attack, but of the look on Neville's face when he discovered the baby. Both realized that was going to be the common reaction.

After a good long soak, they drained the water, turned on the overhead shower and washed. It was not a sensual washing—rather quick and efficient, as if they had been doing this for a long time.

By the time they dressed and emerged from their quarters, the common room was empty save for a figure in an old rocker in the far corner, one way too old to be a student. Molly Weasley rocked James and cooed to the baby gently while she fed him with a bottle of Ginny's milk.

It was the most content either had ever seen the Weasley matriarch. The sight froze them at the foot of the stairs, and they realized that somehow, through all the pain and fright and horror they had gone through in the past few years, Molly Weasley was completely, utterly at peace.

Harry watched as Ginny finally broke the moment and walked across the room. Molly didn't notice until her daughter was only a few feet away. She looked up and smiled. "You're finally awake. Poppy said to let you sleep. Everyone else is at breakfast, I'm afraid."

"It's all right, I'm glad you did," Ginny said as she knelt down beside her mother. "When did you get in?"

"Just a few minutes ago, to be honest. I was hoping to save the bottle, but he was hungry. Oh look, he knows it's you."

"He can feel me," Ginny said.

Molly blinked. "What do you mean, dear?"

"He can feel our magic," Harry said as he walked over to join the women. "He knows when either of us are nearby, even if he's in another room."

In fact, the newborn was reaching for his mother with wide eyes, cooing as he did. Knowing when she was defeated, Molly sighed and handed the baby to Ginny. She stood and watched how deft Ginny was holding the baby. "Are you going to take him to classes?"

"Yes, with a silencing charm to keep the disruptions down," Ginny said. "We already spoke to Professor Dumbledore about it. Nelle told us he would need to stay by us as much as possible for the first six months. It's almost like our bond. After that six months, we'll be able to leave him for longer periods of time."

"Well, he was definitely fussy yesterday while you were on the train," Molly agreed. She leaned over and kissed Ginny on the forehead. She then did the same to a startled but happy Harry. "I thought you two would never know how precious you are to me, but when I see you look at that beautiful babe, I see that maybe you do. Be safe, and don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything at all."

"We will, thanks, Mum," Ginny said.

Molly finally turned and left the two standing alone in the Common Room. They shared one long look before Harry brought out the baby sling and helped Ginny position James. He then grabbed their common book bag, since they were taking the same courses, and started toward the Great Hall.

They paused again before the door. "You ready?" Harry said aloud.

"As I'll ever be."

They stepped past the threshold. The cessation of all sound was not immediate, because not everyone noticed them at first. They could actually track who noticed them by the way the sound stopped at the near end of the Gryffindor table and travelled at an angle through the whole floor, until at the last not a single person spoke or made a sound. Save for Dumbledore and McGonagall, the rest of the staff table sat in stunned silence as well.

"Here goes," Harry muttered. He cleared his throat, but before he could speak Dumbledore stood.

"If you may have noticed, I'm pleased to announce that Harry and Ginny Potter are the proud parents of James Orion Potter," the headmaster announced. "For security reasons the Potters spent the summer in a time chamber. Additionally, for the first term and possibly a portion of the second, young James will accompany his mother to classes. The child still has his price tags on, being so new, so please be considerate. Thank you."

Harry sagged in relief and guided Ginny toward Ron and Hermione while the rest of the school started to whisper and talk. Almost as soon as they were seated, Gryffindor girls began to gather around Ginny to see the baby.

Even Professor McGonagall, who had already seen the baby, softened her normally stern exterior at the sight of the child when she walked over to them. "A beautiful wee bairn," she said with a smile. "I've spoken with the other professors and you should have no trouble."

"Even Professor Snape?" Harry asked.

"Well, we do as we can," McGonagall said with a wry smile. "Which is appropriate, given potions is your first class this morning."

"Joy," Ginny said. That caused some of the girls around them to laugh.

Fortunately, James was a remarkably even tempered baby, so long as his parents were nearby, and he tolerated the attention better than most newborns would. They managed to eat breakfast and then made their way to the dungeons.

Fifth year potions was strange without Malfoy and his cronies. In fact, half of the fifth year class was missing, leaving only those who were neutral, or at least not openly vindictive. And as Ginny settled James in his sling so she could use her hands, the Slytherin girls pointedly took no notice.

Snape strode in which his billowing cloak. "Sit!" he snarled to the already sitting students. "This is your OWL year. I cannot stress enough how important this year is, since I only admit those exceeding expectations to attend NEWT classes. And since this class is required to become an auror, it is advisable that you pay close attention." The last was said directly to Harry, who merely sat with an interested, open expression.

Snape then turned to Ginny. "Mrs. Potter, are you aware of just how dangerous it is having a child in this class?"

"Yes, Professor," Ginny said. "I have a bubble-head charm around him. But if you don't feel it is safe, I will leave."

"Did I excuse you?" Snape said.

"Whether Ginny is here physically or not, she will attend classes through me," Harry said. "But if you feel a potion is too dangerous, we would appreciate it if you told us so we could remove James to safety."

"With Longbottom in the room, every potion is potentially lethal."

Even Harry and Ginny had to snicker at that, while the rest of the class chuckled. Snape appeared taken back that the class chose to view his comment as a joke. Poor Neville blushed but smiled good-naturedly.

"The potion is on the board! Begin!"

After class, Harry and Ginny lingered behind. "What is it, Potters?" Snape snarled.

Harry looked the man in the face. "Does Voldemort know about James yet?"

Snape blinked at the open question. "And why would I tell you that?"

"Because he is my son," Harry said. "And if you do to us what you did to my parents or to me, I will kill you."

Snape was not a coward. Though very few good things could be said of the man, he was in fact quite brave. But there was something about the calm, matter-of-fact way Harry said it that made him quietly sure that the Potter brat was not joking.

"The Dark Lord did not know before today, but he still has informants in the school. I have no doubt he learned of it within the hour of the rest of the school."

Harry nodded, expecting as much. He looked at Ginny and their baby. "I know you hate me," he said. "It's childish and immature, but there you have it. But I'm asking you as a wizard: please do not try to hurt our son. Please."

Snape bristled. "I am not in the business of harming children."

"You've harmed me for the past four years, Professor. And you will continue to do so, I have no doubt. And that's fine. I am asking you to please leave Ginny and James out of it."

"And if I say no?"

"Actually, nothing will happen to you. We will drop potions and take our OWL now. We studied for nine months with a master alchemist. Neither of us thinks we're at NEWT level, but I'm fairly certain we could pass our OWLS. And then after that we could do independent. So, really, there is no threat to you. I'm just asking you for the first time in your life to show some restraint concerning my wife and child."

Snape stood and faced them. Though they had grown considerable, neither were tall. In fact, he suspected they would always been somewhat shorter than average. And yet they stood with a calm and sense of confidence he'd never seen in either of them.

It came as a surprise even to Snape when he nodded and said, "Very well."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said. Ginny nodded her agreement, and with that the young couple left the class.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

The Friday evening following their first week of class, Harry and Ginny gathered James from his crib and walked through the castle until they came to the headmaster's suite. The gargoyle moved aside without a word spoken, and the two rode the moving staircase up until they stepped into Dumbledore's office.

They were not surprised to find Sirius there. Tonks was a little bit of a surprise, while Tonks's parents' presence was just strange. Rosie was there as well, smiling warmly at the kids.

Ginny, in noticing who _wasn't_ there, made the connection first. "Well, isn't this a pretty gathering of Blacks."

"We are quite pretty, aren't we?" Sirius said with a roguish smile.

"Indeed, you're all quite lovely," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "Please come in, you three, and make yourself comfortable. It is time, as Sirius would say, to put our cards on the table."

Harry and Ginny settled into a loveseat while Ginny held the sleeping baby in her arms. "This is about the prophecy?" he finally asked.

"It is about everything I should have told you, but did not," Dumbledore said. "When I sought help for you early this last summer, I had the unique experience of being dressed down by older and wiser mentors. Something I can assure has not happened to me in quite some time. It was rightly pointed out to me, Harry, that I could have done far, far better for you. For you see, I placed the well-being of wizarding Britain above your own needs. You were, at least in the beginning, considered by me as nothing more than a single-shot weapon to be kept safely out of the way until the right moment."

"And then?" Harry said, not surprised by any of this.

"Well, then I actually met you," Dumbledore said. "And all my brilliantly conceived plans fell apart. It's easy to be a general when you don't know your soldiers and weapons. It's quite another when you love those soldiers and weapons like your own. And so my plan was likely doomed from the beginning, because I failed to take into account your impact on me. So, for all the wrongs I have done to you, for all my failings in not allowing you a normal, loving childhood, I give you my apologies and my pledge to do better by you."

"Did he spank you?" Ginny asked, guessing Dumbledore's mentor.

"Verbally, very much so," Dumbledore said.

"Good, you deserved it."

"Indeed, I did. And I hope some good will come out of it." Dumbledore looked around the room. "Since everyone in this room is bound by the Black Family oath of fidelity and are immediate family, I will say that Harry and Ginny spent the summer with Nicholas and Paranelle Flamel, the only other living soul-bonded couple in the world."

Sirius and Rose knew, of course. Tonks and her parents did not, but did not seem overly surprised either.

"They received training from the most powerful purveyors of magic in history, including a form of occlumency built upon their bonds. For this reason, and for the security and safety of their beautiful son, Sirius and I agreed it was time for full disclosure of all facts."

"We know the prophecy," Sirius said.

"The prophecy has actually been rendered invalid to a certain extent," Dumbledore answered.

Even Harry seemed shocked by this. "What do you mean?"

"Harry, remember the words. 'Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.' You died, my boy. Haven't you noticed that your scar has finally healed after fourteen years?"

Harry's hand went to the scar, which was now little more than an indentation in his skin.

"When Voldemort's killing curse struck you, he did not just kill you, he killed the horcrux he unknowingly planted within you. That horcrux was the basis of the prophecy. Without it, there is nothing binding your life to that of Voldemort."

"So we could leave the country," Ginny said hopefully.

"Voldemort would still hunt you. He never learned the full prophecy, and so only knows that Harry has the power to defeat him. In his mind, you must die, Harry, prophecy or no."

"Figures," Harry muttered.

"So, back to the horcruxes," Sirius said. "Do you know what all they are? We know he made several. In fact, from a forced interview I conducted with old Slughorn, we suspect there were seven actual horcruxes, total."

Dumbledore did not seem surprised by Sirius's knowledge. "We already know of at least one—the object that caused the bond Harry and Ginny share."

"The diary," Ginny said.

"Indeed. As for the others—I observed than even as a child Tom collected trophies of his victories. And so I suspected he would use important artifacts from people he admired as horcruxes."

Sirius nodded. "Albus, you should know that Amelia Bones, Algie Croaker and I have been hunting these horcruxes since we found out what they were. So far, we've destroyed three. Salazar Slytherin's locket was actually found in Grimmauld place when Remus and I cleaned it out. We later found Marvolo Gaunt's ring in the Gaunt ancestral home in Little Haggleton. It took me and a team of three unspeakable to get the ring out, and one of those unspeakable later died of injuries she received. And due to the recent law allowing the ministry to claim certain Death Eater vaults, we discovered Helga Hufflepuff's cup was imbued with a horcrux as well. The DOM dealt with all of them."

For the first time, Harry saw true surprise flitter across the headmaster's face, followed a moment later by a gleam of hope that made his whole aura flare. "And with Harry's own horcrux gone, that leaves only two left."

"What I don't understand," Andromeda Tonks said, "is the number of horcruxes. If he was going after seven, then there should only be six actual horcruxes, since the seventh soul shard would be in Voldemort himself."

"Ahh, but you see," Dumbledore said, "he never intended or even knew that he created one with Harry. Perhaps he meant to create one with Harry's death and the ceremony went awry when Lily's protection saved Harry, but Tom never realized a hocrux was created. Again, remember he never had the whole prophecy. From what my spies have said, he has since created another horcrux in his snake, Nagini."

"So, do we have any ideas what that last horcrux could be?" Tonks asked.

"Suspicions only. Excepting his diary, which was his first, all of the objects used were artifacts related to the founders. The Gaunt Ring was a family heirloom from Slytherin, as was the locket. The cup was enchanted by Helga Hufflepuff herself and was in and of itself a priceless artifact. So we had items from two of the four founders. It stands to reason that the missing horcrux was bound in a well known object from one of the remaining founders."

"It wouldn't be anything of Gryffindor's," Sirius said. "According to my parents, Riddle despised anything related to Gryffindor. I can't imagine he'd imbue his soul to a legacy artifact belonging to him."

"Which leaves something of Rowena Ravenclaw's," Andromeda said.

"If Hermione were here she'd have it figured out in a thrice," Harry said.

"She probably would at that," Dumbledore said. "However, this is dangerous knowledge to even possess, and it strains me enough that the two of you must be a part of it. It is the job of responsible adults to ensure that children do not have to engage in battle. With every fight you engage in, Harry and Ginny, I feel as if I have failed you."

"I did feel that way, until you killed off those dementors," Sirius said. "Now I'm just glad you're on our side!"

"So two more horcruxes left," Harry said. "What now?"

Sirius and Albus looked at each other for the longest time before Dumbledore nodded. "Now, my boy, we do everything in our power to make sure you and Ginny have the knowledge and skill to go with that extraordinary power of yours. You will both be excused for the year from Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. Instead, you will have special training with either myself, Sirius Black, or certain hand-picked Unspeakables to be provided by Minister Bones."

"What about quidditch?" Harry asked.

"Oh, don't worry," Sirius said. "Albus wanted to make you quit, but the rest of us managed to make him understand that kids need release once in a while. Are you both playing this year?"

"If we have someone we trust to watch James," Ginny said.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Dumbledore said. "Harry, it is a heavy and terrible thing we ask of you. I cannot forget that you are only fifteen years old. Yet with Voldemort determined to kill you, I can see no other choice but to ensure you can defend yourself and your family. We will do everything in our power to make sure you are safe, but part of that means making sure you can secure your own safety as well."

"I'm not the first fifteen year old required to fight someone else's war," Harry said. "Just give me the tools to make sure I don't get myself killed again. Trust me, it hurts. A lot."

The others were too startled by the statement at first to respond, until Sirius bellowed in laughter.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

That night, after the young couple placed their son in his crib, they stripped into their pajamas and climbed into bed. They cuddled and kissed, but no more. Even with magic healing, Ginny was still recovering from the birth of their son, and with him drawing on her milk and magic, the sex drive that almost killed them over the summer was now gone entirely. The fact they did not require full skin-on-skin contact was another miracle of James's birth.

"So, about tonight," she said.

_He's being optimistic again_, Harry thought at her. _Nothing ever goes to plan._

_We're still training with him, right?_

_Of course. We just didn't have enough training with Nick to make a huge difference. We have all this power, but Voldemort would still run circles around us because of his own training and knowledge. We need both to ever defeat him._

She pushed herself tighter into him, wrapping his firmly around her waist, and suddenly started to cry.

Harry did not say or think anything at her. He merely held her and pushed love at her through the bond. He knew why she was crying, and couldn't deny a certain sadness himself.

When they first realized that they loved each other—than the bond was more than just a disability—they shared a dream of a huge family. Of beautiful red-headed girls and handsome black-headed boys running around, laughing and playing and making their lives hectic and wonderful. Ginny wanted the large family because that is what she was raised in; Harry because that's what he had always dreamed of but could never have.

But now, because of the very bond that let them realize how deep their love was, that would never happen. One child per lifetime, until they were ready to die permanently together.

At last the tears eased. Ginny took a long, shuddering breath, and then turned to Harry. "Make love to me."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "I thought you were still sore."

"I don't care," she said. "I need you inside of me. Please."

They made love gently, and Ginny wept quietly with her eyes closed even as she held on to him and moaned. When they finished, she kissed him with tear-salted lips, thanked him, and sank deeply into sleep on his chest.

Harry stayed awake and stared at the ceiling. "I won't let you take them from me," he whispered into the shadows of the room.

It was only his imagination, he for a moment he thought he heard a voice whisper,_ Try to stop me._


	40. The Best Minds of Hogwarts, and Ron

Thank you for all your comments, and also your patience. I believe I am finally back on track for this story, so I don't think we're going to have to do any more week skipping. So be on the look-up for next week's installment!

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**Chapter Forty: The Best Minds of Hogwarts, and Ron  
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It took almost two weeks of class before the novelty of James Orion began to wear off. Eventually, though, the stares went from shocked curiosity to genuine interest and goodhearted curiosity to see a cute baby. It helped that at four weeks, his eye color started shifting toward a uniform hazel. It was one less thing that marked him as different.

The special training they received was both amazing and infuriating because, though they had obscene amounts of power, the two of them were still technically only fifth years. Nine months with Nicholas Flamel did not suddenly turn them into raging magic warriors. Their performance on the train was as much luck and timing as anything else.

This became abundantly clear after their first lesson with Professor Flitwick, who had them both petrified and bound in the first minute of their opening duel.

"And frankly, I'm not that powerful," Flitwick said. "What I have is speed, knowledge and skill. The two of you have speed, and power. This year, we'll be working on knowledge and skill."

He handed them several books of dueling spells, and one book on magical war tactics before even the time of the founders, written by a Chinese wizard-warrior named Sun Tzu.

They went to classes otherwise, ate their meals with their fellow students, and studied with a determination that made Hermione proud while adjusting to the massive change of life that came with a baby who did not always want to sleep when they did.

They practiced dueling with anyone who was available, dueling either in pairs or apart. They leaned new combat spells and how to cast silently, which every instructor insisted was vital to dueling in any form.

"If your enemy can hear your spell, he can anticipate it and neutralize it before it even leaves your wand," Shacklebolt told them during his particular turn as a dueling instructor.

It was Moody, though, who gave them the most intense lessons. The retired auror still looked pale after the previous year's harrowing experiences. But he was also determined not to every go through it, or have anyone else go through it, again.

"Best trick I know," he said after their first less. He turned to the practice wall he conjured and shouted, "Stupefy." However, the spell that emerged was anything but a stunning spell. It blasted the conjured target into a thousand pieces.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"Blasting curse," Moody said. "Learn to cast well enough with your mind, and it doesn't really matter what comes out of your mouth. For instance! _Avada kedavra_!"

He shouted this at Ginny. Harry instantly summoned a shield, knowing it would not stop a killing curse but not knowing what else to do. However, the spell that emerged was nothing more than a red stunner that bounced harmlessly off Harry's shield.

"That always gets their attention," Moody cackled insanely. "Well, off with you. Lesson's done for the day!"

As they were walking away, Harry put a shaky hand around his wife's waist. "That man is insane."

_I wonder what would happen if he fought Bellatrix Lestrange?_

"They would either kill each other and everyone else around them, or they would make the ugliest, most insane children in the world."

She paused at the door and collected James from the playpen Harry had conjured. Once their son was settled, they walked to the Great Hall. After they left, Sirius stepped into the unused classroom.

"Well?"

"They've got talent," Moody said, "but I don't care how much talent you have, you don't make a duelist able to beat Voldemort in a year."

"They don't have to beat him," Sirius said. "They just have to survive him."

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Severus Snape clutched his arm in pain and grunted. He sent his patronus to tell Dumbledore what was happening, and then left the dungeons by floo. He emerged in a spacious, luxuriously appointed sitting room that once belonged to the Malfoys. Now it, and Narcissa, belonged to Voldemort. In fact, everything his Death Eaters owned belonged to Voldemort.

He was met by Bellatrix Lestrange herself. "Hello, Severus," she said with a cold, grim smile.

"How is Rudolphus, Bella?" Snape said. He knew he shouldn't have, but he could not help himself. He despised the woman, just as he despised her husband and her brother in law, who might as well have been her husband as well from the way the two men shared her.

She paled as if struck, and the flushed with brilliant red rage. "I will kill you soon, Severus," she promised. "Someday you're going to slip up, and I will beg the master to let me kill you slowly."

"Until that time," Severus said, "move out of my way. I have been summoned."

She moved, glaring daggers into his back. He emerged from the sitting room to find a house filled with Death Eaters, both new and old. It saddened him to see so many of his young snakes among the rank and file of murderers and rapists. Though Albus fought tooth and nail against Bones's declaration against the children of known death eaters, in fact she was absolutely correct. With only one or two exceptions, every child of a Death Eater fifth year or above was now marked. Children as young as fifteen were now regularly accompanying their parents and veterans on raids to kidnap, rape and murder muggles and opposing wizards alike.

And some had already died doing it.

Severus Snape had many failures in his life. His relationship with Lily Evans was his largest and most tragic. He could trace most of the misery of his existence to that one failure. But there were many more—Draco Malfoy was one of the most poignant. The young scion of the Malfoy Family had so very much potential. For all his whinging and name dropping, the boy had more magic than his father did, and when he actually used it, he had a good head on his shoulders.

The problem was he was taught from infancy to not think or question too hard; that one always obeyed one's master and should always know one's place. Malfoy thought his place was on top not because he earned it, but because his father told him so. That arrogance and lack of foresight ended up costing him his life. Just as Severus's inability to teach him differently led to Draco throwing that life away at the behest of the Dark Lord.

He finally entered the Malfoy's infamous ballroom, where the Dark Lord had established his throne room. It seemed odd that Voldemort felt the need for a throne. Then again, he called himself a Lord without any basis for it, other than his power and his followers.

Snape strode quickly across the room and knelt down at ten paces while Voldemort lazily fed his snake a poodle. "I have heard interesting things from Hogwarts," the dark lord said absently.

"Yes, my lord," Snape said.

"Tell me."

"The Potter brat and his cow have…bred. They have a child she carries around the castle like a doll, showing it off to whomever will look."

"So the reports are true," Voldemort said. The hind legs of the full-sized poodle continued to twitch even as they stuck out of Nagini's mouth. The snake turned and slithered away with a huge mound just behind its head. The dark lord turned his bright red eyes onto Snape.

"I have not been pleased with the efforts of my followers this summer," Voldemort said. "For every attack that succeeds, two fail. For every muggle or muggleborn we kill, I lose two of my followers. It is difficult to change the corrupt and broken system with results like that. Tell me, Severus, what do you think I should do about this?"

"The Minister has filled people with hope," Snape said. "To crush them, we must crush any hopes they have."

"Well spoken. How do we crush their hope, though? Who brings them hope?"

"Minister Bones."

"She leads them, certainly," Voldemort said. "She is a most irritating thorn in my side. However, I have already begun plans to eliminate her. I am not speaking just of leadership. A fallen leader can be replaced. No, I am asking who actually gives the people hope."

Severus knew from the beginning who he was speaking of, but only now forced himself to say it. "Potter."

"Potter. He survived again. Somehow, he survived my killing curse twice. And if reports are to be believed, he and his little whore actually killed my ten best Death Eaters. Poor Bella is beside herself."

Bella glared at Snape from the Dark Lord's side now, as if were the potion master's fault her men were dead.

"Now, Severus," Voldemort said, leaning forward with an eager expression on his face, "from whence does Potter derive hope?"

Snape's stomach twisted. "From Dumbledore," he lied.

"No. Guidance, perhaps. But not hope. I shall give you one more guess before I begin to suspect you of subterfuge."

"If not Dumbledore, Master, then it must be his family," Snape said, forcing himself to put spite in his voice.

"Ahh, yes. Now we come to the heart of the matter. Potter finds hope from his new family. From his blood-traitor whore of a wife, and from the new brat they dragged kicking into this world."

Severus had only a split moment's notice. The seeming joviality in Voldemort's face burned in an instant into overwhelming rage, and a split second later, Snape was hit by the most intense pain he had ever experienced through the whole of his pain-filled life.

He arched his back and fell back on the floor, screaming in agony as the _cruciatus_ burned its way through his nervous system, second after excruciating, unbearable second, into minutes.

When Voldemort at least released his pain curse, Snape rolled over and was physically sick. The floor felt as if it were tilting dangerously and he grasped at the cold, elegantly designed tiles of the floor to fight against the incredible vertigo his seared nervous system was throwing at him. In all his years, he had never been held under the cruciatus for so long, and he knew instinctively he was damaged from it.

And then Bella was there, cooing at him as if he were a baby, even as she dipped her hand into his vomit and smeared it over his face, before wiping the hand on his robes. "Does poor wittle Sevvy feel sick?" she whispered in an insane cackle.

"Enough, Bella," Voldemort said with delighted indulgence. "We are not done quiet yet with our wayward friend. Severus, if you can stand within sixty seconds, you may yet live."

He could not control his limbs. After so long under the pain curse, he could not even feel them except for the aftershocks of the pain. And yet the most basic and human drive for survival spurred him on to try. Around him, his own former students laughed along with his peers as he tried twice and slipped back to the floor.

Bella was counting down the seconds, her voice growing steadily louder with each second past. She was already on thirty seconds and was counting them down in a happy, sing-song voice.

He jerked his knees under his body, and with a grunt of agony at the effort, straightened. He swayed dangerously as the vertigo struck again, but he could not stop. "Forty-three…forty-four…"

He struggled and got one foot up in front of him. Bella now was nearly shrieking as he past fifty seconds. He got pushed with every fiber of his being, struggling blindly against the very real threat of death. "Fifty-eight!" Bella screamed. "Fifty-nine! Sixty!"

Somehow, Severus Snape was standing before Voldemort. His hands trembled incessantly, and he knew from his own familiarity with the effects of the curse on others that the tremors would never go away. The Dark Lord had finished him as a potions master, which meant he was of no further use other than in his role at Hogwarts, which was also endangered because of those trembling hands.

"Well played, Severus," Voldemort said. "Do you know why you were made to suffer, Severus?"

"It is not mine to question, my lord," Severus said. He was proud of how even his voice was.

"No, it is not. But in this case, I will reveal something to you. Potter and his people have taken something from me. Several items, in fact. Bella went to check on her vault and narrowly avoided arrest. The contents of the Lestrange vaults have been impounded and sold by the ministry and the goblins. I then checked on other of my treasures. I cannot express my disappointment enough when I found they were gone."

_His horcruxes_, Snape thought, terrified. Voldemort knew about his hocruxes being destroyed.

"Potter has taken something precious from me, Severus, and I will take something precious from him. I will take his son from him. And you are going to take him for me, Severus."

"M'lord?"

"You will, before the end of this year, bring James Orion Potter to me. Kill his whore—I care not. But the child is to be mine. Do you understand, Severus?"

"Yes, m'lord."

Voldemort regarded him long and hard. "Severus, that is not good enough. Your failure to protect my treasures from my enemies has left my faith in you shaken. I need something to restore my faith, Severus. I need an unbreakable vow."

Severus sighed, knowing at that moment, there was no escape. He was going to die, either at Voldemort's hand, or Potters. He had only the now. "Then you shall have it, m'lord."

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Hermione and Ron stepped into the Potter's room right behind Ron. Surprisingly, Cedric and Luna followed them. A moment after that came Neville.

The room looked more like a bedroom in a house than a dorm room in a thousand year old castle. The walls were covered in warm red satin cloth since they couldn't very well plaster or wall paper the stone. A merry fire danced in their small fireplace. Harry was already there, smiling as he greeted his friends.

He had chairs laid out around a modest sized table, while against one wall was a buffet table filled with sandwiches, butterbeers and other snacks. It was the second Sunday in October.

Ginny emerged from the nursery, still adjusting her shirt. Hermione couldn't help but sigh as Ron and Neville blushed and Cedric just grinned and shook his head. Boys and boobs, she thought in despair.

"Well, mate, we're here," Ron said. "What's up?"

"Have a seat," Harry invited. They all sat around the table that took up much of the bedroom. "Cedric, Luna, Neville, thank you both for coming."

"Ginny is my friend," Luna said simply. "I'm surprised Celestina or your other old roommates aren't here, though."

Ginny shrugged. "You're the smartest girl I know beside Hermione who is my friend."

Luna blinked large silvery eyes. "Why thank you."

"Then why am I here?" Neville asked.

Harry grinned. "Because we're trying to set you up and we needed to compare auras."

"Set me up with whom?"

"Well, originally with Luna," Ginny admitted.

"Not going to work, though," Harry said.

"You're a good, solid blue," Ginny said.

"Luna is plaid," Harry said.

Cedric chuckled. "Is that even a color?"

"It is on Luna. Don't laugh, Cedric," Harry added. "You're a match."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Oh course he is. His aura's been changed. Flitisticks are hovering all about him."

Cedric's eyes widened as he looked at the diminutive, blonde fourth-year. "You mean what you said last year…."

"There is no fate but what you make," Luna said.

"Hey, that's from a movie!" Hermione said.

"Yes?"

"Er, never mind."

"You're here because you're our friends," Ginny finally said. "And because we trust you. Last year during the tournament, Neville was the only one—Ron included—who did not automatically think Harry was just trying to get attention. You were quiet about it, Neville, but we noticed. And it meant a lot to us. Cedric, you acted like a true gentleman during the tasks and proved that you were a leader."

"You're here, Luna," Harry said, "because you just know things. You're brilliant in a way no one else is. If we haven't been the friends to you we should have been, it's only because we really didn't have a chance last year."

"I know," Luna said. "And I am your friend. It's actually quite nice, having friends."

"And me?" Ron said. "I'm not smart."

"You're my best mate," Harry said.

"Oh, okay."

Neville downed a butterbeer before he said: "Okay," he finally said. "I am your friend, have been since first year. What does that mean?"

"We know why Voldemort didn't die when he failed to kill Harry the first time," Ginny said.

"And we know how to make it so that he won't survive a second time," Harry said.

Hermione sat up as she watched her closest friends study the others.

"We are hunting an object that contains a piece of Voldemort's soul," Harry said.

"We don't know what it is," Ginny continued. It was like watching the twins speak, Hermione thought. "It could anything. But we do have some clues that make us think it was something of the Founders, and that it did not belong to Gryffindor. We've narrowed it down to something that might have belonged to Ravenclaw. So, we're looking for an object that could be anywhere in the world. We need to figure out possible candidates for the object…"

"…and where they might be," Harry finished. "Will you help us?"

The others sat in stunned silence. It was Neville who finally said, "This seems like an awfully big task for a bunch of students."

"The Department of Mysteries and the DMLE are both working on it as well," Ginny said. "Frankly, I'd love it if they figured it out first. But so far they haven't."

"And you think we can?" Cedric asked.

"We have the smartest witch of her age," Harry said. "And possibly the most perceptive witch of her age," he said to Luna. "And three blokes who are willing to stand by us no matter what, one of whom is head boy. I figure it couldn't hurt to try."

"Oh, we'll try," Hermione said resolutely. "In fact, I already have a few ideas."

"The diadem would be the most obvious item," Luna said. "It supposedly granted the wearer wisdom. But it did not appear to work as her daughter stole it, and then was murdered. Unless of course it granted wisdom but not intelligence. Or perhaps the wisdom was gained after she died, since the Gray Lady is considered quite wise for a ghost."

"Any idea where it would be?"

Luna shook her head. "It has been lost for many centuries, I'm afraid."

"Any other items?"

"There's Ravenclaw's garter," Hermione supplied helpfully. "She made it for her daughter. It acted as a magically reinforced chastity belt."

"Which is why Helena then stole the diadem and left Hogwarts," Luna said. "Evidently the Gray Lady did not wish to remain chaste the whole of her life. I would think it would be ever much a bore. Wouldn't you agree, Cedric?"

Cedric, caught completely off guard by a girl three years his junior, started coughing until Ron swung his hand around and slapped the poor boy hard on his back.

"Owe!" Cedric said.

"Not coughing anymore," Ron pointed out.

"I was rather thinking mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," Luna said. "I saw a book on it in a muggle library over the summer."

Ron cocked his arm back for another slap, but Cedric did not cough this time. "Are you joking?" he finally asked Luna.

"I thought this was flirting," Luna said. She looked to Ginny. "Am I doing it wrong?"

"I don't know," Ginny admitted. "My idea of flirting was hiding away and blushing every time I saw Harry, until the bond formed and there was no point."

"Cedric," Harry said, "we're not very good matchmakers. But you guys have really pretty auras together. So, take her to Hogsmeade and see for yourself."

"And if it doesn't work," Luna said, "I'm sure Ronald will be glad to slap your back again."

"It was sorta fun," Ron admitted with a grin.

"You're serious?" Cedric asked.

"Only if you are," she answered back without blinking.

"Fine. Do you want to go to Hogsmead with me next weekened?"

"I'm sorry, I'm studying that day," Luna said with a straight face.

Cedric turned red. "Now she's being mean," Ginny said.

Before Cedric could sputter, Luna leaned over and gave him a very chaste, very sweet kiss on his cheek. "I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you, Cedric. Thank you for asking."

"Now that we have that over, we need to talk about other objects."

"Sadly, Rowena Ravenclaw did not enchant many objects other than books," Luna said as the resident Ravenclaw. "She created the bibliometricon the library uses to track all books in the library. She also was the first magical being to develop modern apparation. But the diadem and her garter are the only two objects she is known to have enchanted."

"So, if I were to guess, I'd say that a dark wizard bent on dominating the world would not be very interested in a woman's chastity belt," Harry said.

"Probably not," Hermione said.

"So, where do you think the diadem would be?"

"There's only one person who might now," Luna said. "Helena Ravenclaw. We need to speak to the Gray Lady."


	41. Meeting the Grey Lady

**Chapter Forty-One: Meeting the Gray Lady**

Albus Dumbledore frowned as he walked through the halls to the dungeon. It was a Tuesday, and for the second day Severus had cancelled his classes. His frown deepened when he reached the closed and warded door of Severus's personal quarters. He knocked, but there was no answer. With a wave of his hand, the school wards unlocked, leaving only Severus's personal wards. Those Dumbledore dismantled with relative ease and stepped into the room.

The first thing that struck him was the smell. The room was filled with the foul stench of sickness.

After the shock of the smell wore off, he then noticed the general disorder of the place. Severus, like any good potions master, was a meticulous housekeeper and generally insisted everything be in its place. Now, though, his room looked as if it had been ransacked. Parchments were spread wildly around the room, as were vials of potions ingredients. Chairs were overturned and clothes were dumped on the floor.

Albus's irritation over Snape's absence started to turn into concern. "Severus?" he called as he lit a lumos spell and walked through the chaos of Severus's suite.

He finally reached the professor's bedroom and stared in at the tableau he found with dismay. Severus huddled over a large cauldron, shivering with cold in the hot room. He was completely nude, and his pale, over-thin body was covered with strangely dark bruises.

"Severus, what is going on?"

"I'm dying," Snape said. Despite his horrid condition, the Potions Master managed to sound just as irritable and aloof as always.

"What happened?"

"He knows," Snape said. "He knows Potter's family has been destroying his horcruxes. He was not pleased with me."

The headmaster's compassion proved stronger than the Potion Master's misanthropic disdain, and he sat down next to the shivering man and placed an arm around his shoulders. "Tell me, Severus."

"I can no longer teach," Severus said, still with that aloof tone. "I was held under the Cruciatus for too long. I've suffered nerve damage in all of my extremities and have already noticed gaps in my memory. I apologize for the mess—I tried to brew a potion to ease my pain and was disappointed at not being able to remember the potion, or be able to brew it safely."

Very few people liked Severus Snape. In fact, it could be said no one truly liked him. But Dumbledore was one of the few who could tolerate him, because Dumbledore more than most understood him. For, like Snape, Dumbledore also had to commit a great evil before he realized the depths of his mistake, and he had spent the past century trying with limited success to repent of that great error.

And he knew, with Severus's calmly delivered words, that the only thing that Severus Snape still valued had been taken from him. His skill at potions was his only pride; his only tradable skill. And now it was gone, wrested away by a spiteful madman.

Even so, Dumbledore also knew there was more. "Your symptoms are more than just the pain curse, my friend. Please, tell me."

"I am breaking an Unbreakable Vow," Snape admitted.

Dumbledore could not help but suck in a break in dismay. "Tell me."

"I have been ordered to bring Potter's son to the Dark Lord. I swore so on my life and magic. And since I do not intend to fulfill the vow, my magic has already begun to react."

Dumbledore stood and paced the room. Finally, the headmaster stopped and peered down at his friend. "Well then, Severus, you must fulfill your vow."

Severus looked up, wide-eyed. "What?"

"You will fulfill your vow. You will bring James Orion Potter to Voldemort, or otherwise make the boy available to the Dark Lord."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Students from other houses were not supposed to enter the common rooms. This was a long-standing tradition. However, when Professor Flitwick himself guided the young Potter family into the Ravenclaw common room with Luna Friday night after dinner, the Ravenclaws found they had little room to protest.

"My dear Claws," Flitwick said, "I hate to inconvenience you, but I must ask you all to vacate the tower for a brief time. I have advised Madame Pince—you may wait in the library until we're done."

Though surprised, the Ravenclaws for the most part liked the library, and so began shuffling quietly out while glancing at Harry, Ginny or their baby. Cho Chang as prefect was one of the last out. "Professor, isn't Lovegood coming?"

Harry answered. "Luna is with us."

"And Cedric," Luna piped in with a beaming smile.

Cho stared as if slapped.

"All things a wise Ravenclaw would do well to remember, Ms. Chang," Flitwick said, showing he was not completely unaware of the past behavior directed against Luna.

Surprised and chastened, Cho nodded and left the common room as well. Flitwick, now made aware of what was happening regarding the Dark Lord's horcruxes, guided the three students and the baby up the stairs to the head girl's suite, which was located next to his own quarters.

"Rowena wanted her close," Flitwick explained, speaking of the long-dead people as if they were close friends. In fact, given the fact that Helena Ravenclaw was a ghost, his friendship with her was entirely possible.

They moved into the unoccupied suite since the current Head Girl was a Hufflepuff, and Luna stepped to the center of the room. She closed her eyes and spun about as if dancing. Harry and Ginny looked on in confusion, but Flitwick simply nodded.

A moment later, the Gray Lady floated through the right wall.

The Blood Baron floated through the left.

Luna sat down in the center of the room with closed eyes. "Who summons us?" the Blood Baron growled.

Harry stepped forward. "I do."

The Bloody Baron's glare made Harry's spine tingle, but he stood his ground and looked right back. "Have we not suffered enough?" the Baron said.

"I need to find Ravenclaw's diadem," he said. "It has been tarnished by evil."

"It has been bathed in evil and blood," the Gray Lady said. "My own."

The Baron turned toward her, and the rage faded to overwhelming guilt. "Aye," he said. "That it has."

The Gray Lady turned back to Harry and Ginny. "I've been watching you," she said. "How envious I was of you. You survived the bond."

Harry felt an odd shiver and looked at Ginny for a moment before turning his attention back to Helena Ravenclaw. "I don't understand…"

"The diadem was a cursed object," the Baron said. "Cursed by that hag Rowena herself. In old age she went mad with power, though she hid it well enough and framed my father for most of her hatred. But she could not stand the idea for her daughter leaving her side. And so she enchanted the diadem to anchor her soul to this place. While Rowena had the diadem, Helena could not leave."

"But I could not stand my mother any longer, and so I stole the diadem," she said. "William came after me not to bring me back, but to go with me. We had loved each other so much…"

"But the curse was insidious. While her soul was bound to the diadem, she could not love me. And so we resolved to break the binding by transferring it from the diadem."

Ginny stepped forward and grabbed Harry's hand. "You created a soul bond."

"Indeed we did. In the forests of Romania we bound our souls together as one," Helena said. "And that was the end of our lives."

"What happened?" Harry asked, also enthralled.

"Do you not remember, young wizard?" the Baron asked. "Think what would have happened when you formed the bond, if you were both of age?"

"We loved each other," the Gray Lady said. "Until it hurt us. Until our bodies felt like fire. But I was infertile—my dear mother had made sure of that with her cursed chastity belt. And so I could not get pregnant."

Harry squeezed Ginny's hand. "We remember," he said, near tears at the thought of the agony the two ghosts went through. "And there would have been no way for you to ever stop it."

"It hurt so badly," Ginny said. "Mother didn't realize what was happening, so she kept me on the contraception charm."

"Yes," Helena said. She glided down until she floated before the young couple. "But you were stronger than we were. Your love and magic overcame your pain until help could come. And now you have this miracle to share with the world." A ghostly hand glided over James Orion, who reached for the silver apparition with a babyish giggle. "When William killed me, it was not an act of hate or spite. It was an act of love to free us both from the bonds. The fact he followed suite proved to me that he loved me. My only regret is that we did not share our lives together."

"And that's why you share your afterlives," Ginny said.

"Please," Harry said, "can you tell us where the diadem is now?"

"It is here, in the castle," Helena said, though she did not remove her silvery eyes from the baby. "A special room only the elves know about. _He_ brought it here years ago, while he was still mostly human."

"Voldemort," Harry said. "Can you tell me how to get into it?"

"I cannot, but the elves can."

"Thank you," Ginny said. "I'm so sorry for you pain. Is there…is there anything we can do for you?"

"Our fate is ours to suffer," the Baron said. "We are but pale shadows of the people who once lived. There is no more pain, just regret. Don't dwell on the dead, child. You have too much to live for."

"Thank you both," Harry said.

Flitwick, though, stepped to Luna and gently shook her shoulder. The thin Ravenclaw blinked her eyes, and as she woke the two ghosts silently drifted away. Flitwick helped her to her feet, and Harry and Ginny both smiled when Luna stood taller than him. "Did we find what we needed?"

"We did. You were brilliant, Luna," Ginny said.

Harry did more than that. He stepped forward and wrapped the girl in a hug. "You really were brilliant," he said. "So you're a natural medium?"

Luna sighed contently in a hug. "I see dead people," she said with a sad smile. "Hugs are ever so nice. Do you think Cedric hugs like that?"

Harry let her go and shrugged. "You'll never know if you don't try."

"Matchmaking, are we, Mr. Potter?" Flitwick said with an amused smile.

"It's like matching colors on a wheel," Harry said. "So, elves, huh?"

"Curfew's in a few minutes," Ginny pointed out.

"Then tomorrow after Hogsmead?" Harry said.

"Agreed," Ginny said. The two looked to Professor Flitwick. "Thank you," they said in unison.

"It was my pleasure, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Flitwick said.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Despite their plans to do so, Harry and Ginny did not go to Hogsmead.

Sirius sat down with them in the Headmaster's office to discuss with the young couple why not. "We just can't guarantee your son would be safe," Sirius said. "After the attack on the train, that should be really clear."

Little James was feeling a bit puckish that day. He wasn't crying so much as mewling. Harry suspected his son was affected by his parent's emotional state. Harry himself wasn't too thrilled about being restricted to the castle.

If it had been just him and Ginny, they'd have the invisibility cloak over their heads and they'd be on their way. But with James, everything was different. For the first time in his life, Harry was forced to think as a father.

"I understand," he said at last. He felt Ginny silently agree. "Thank you for discussing it with us."

Sirius smiled sadly. "If you need me to pick up anything for you, just give me a list."

"Thanks, I think we'll be fine."

The two walked back to their suite sadly, and James chose that moment to start crying. Ginny bounced him, crooning to him even as she sent to Harry, _Sometimes being responsible parents stinks_.

"Yeah, but it does make it a little easier to understand your mum and dad, though."

_Yeah, maybe_. Ginny would never admit to herself that in many respects she was a lot like her mother.

They got back to their room but found they couldn't sit still and concentrate on schoolwork. Instead, they went to the shielded classroom they had been using for their dueling practices and took turns practicing their spellwork while the other played with James.

They chose to eat lunch there in the room and even conjured a crib for James to nap in, while they continued to practice. For that reason they missed the first rush of harried, frightened students who returned to the castle from Hogsmeade. They did not realize something happened until Sirius burst into the room.

The sudden arrival startled Harry and Ginny, and because they were startled, James started to cry. "What's wrong?" Harry asked immediately.

"There was an attack," Sirius said. "Two aurors and a student were killed."

Ginny rose with a still mewling James in her arm. "Who?"

"Hannah Abbot. Susan Bones was hit with a cruciatus and her arm was burned with a flame spell. She's in the hospital wing now."

Harry moved to Ginny's side and hugged her. "You were right to ask us to stay here," Harry admitted to his godfather. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Do whatever you have to do," Sirius said, meaning their search for the missing horcrux. "Be safe. Protect your son."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

During dinner, the Hufflepuff Table sat in absolute, stunned silence. One of their most popular students was dead. Cedric once more showed himself to be a natural leader by dispensing hugs and comforting words to all who needed them. Professor Sprout foreswore the faculty table and sat with her Puffs, weeping right along with her students over Hannah Abbot's death, and the terrible injuries sustained by Susan Bones.

Harry and Ginny ate in somber silence, as did the rest of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, doing their small part to show their respect for the loss. Even the Slytherins, those that remained, were quiet.

After dinner, Ginny used the floo in their quarters (connected to the Burrow and the Doghouse only by Albus) and asked for her mother to come and watch James. Molly came through, happy enough to be watching her grandson.

She was also dying of curiosity, since she only got the barest hint of the day's events from her husband. "Well, what a terrible thing for that poor girl," Molly said when Harry and Ginny told her everything. "I knew Miriam Abbot, the poor dear. I'll need to make sure to send her a pudding to let her know I'm thinking of her."

It was such a Molly Weasley thing to say; such a Molly Weasley approach. All pain and suffering was dealt with by the creating and consuming of food. And yet, it was also a comforting familiarity that Harry and Ginny both appreciated.

"James has been fed and should sleep," Ginny said when Molly settled down from the story. "I don't know when we'll be back."

"Does Professor Dumbledore know what you're about?" Molly asked uncertainly.

"He knows. He helped assign the task," Harry assured his mother-in-law. With a few more reassurances, they were able to finally leave their suite. Once in the hall, they called one of the Hogwarts elves, a tiny being named Dimpy. Dimpy nearly hopped on his feet at the thought of being helpful, and gladly took them to the seventh floor where he described how to open the "Come and Go Room".

They did the requisite pacing before the portrait three times, but the door never opened.

Dimpy pulled his ears. "Must be someone inside," he finally said. "Only opens for one person."

"Dimpy," Harry asked, "who else knows about the room?"

"Dimpy does not know. Not used in many years."

Harry and Ginny shared a look. "We wait?" he asked aloud.

Ginny nodded.

The two thanked Dimpy, cast cushioning charms on the floor across from the wall that housed the painting of Barnabas the Barmy teaching the trolls to dance ballet, and settled in under the invisibility cloak.

They did not have long to wait. The wall made a grinding noise as a door appeared from nowhere. Ginny and Harry both climbed to their feet, being careful to stay under the cloak. The door swung open, and they were surprised to see Susan Bones of all people walk out. She did not look as injured as Sirius led them to believe, though one arm was heavily bandaged.

Harry and Ginny shared a thought instantly, and without hesitation he stepped out of the cloak while Ginny remained hidden. "Susan, what are you doing?"

Susan spun around with blazing speed and had her wand out. She stopped, eyes-wide, when she saw Harry. "Potter!" she said. "You scared me. What are you doing up here?"

Though they were not close friends, Harry was always friendly with Susan and her friend Hannah. In the years they had known each other, she had never referred to him as "Potter". Ginny sent an image to him through their link of Barty Crouch Jr as Moody.

"Oh, I was just walking," he said with forced calm. "It's hard to get any peace now, what with a baby and all."

Susan smirked. "Yeah, who ever thought you and Weasley'd have a baby so young?"

"Not me," Harry said. He made a point of walking to Susan's side. She relaxed a little, though he noticed she kept her wand in hand. "I'm really sorry about Hannah. What happened?"

"I don't know," Susan said. She managed to sound sincere as she described the attack that killed her life-long friend. "It was just awful."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Harry said, though inside his mind was reeling. Ginny was looking at "Susan's" aura, and it was far blacker than even that of Barty Crouch Jr. Whoever this person was, they were not Susan Bones, and they were profoundly evil.

They walked along in a semblance of companionable silence for a moment when Ginny sent an image to him of Susan slowly raising her wand behind his back. Again, in a gestalt moment of common thought, Ginny fired a stunner from under the cloak while Harry jumped away.

Neither were prepared for the speed with which "Susan" spun and blocked the stunner. She twirled away with an insane-sounding laugh and fired off a veritable wall of stunners. Ginny had no choice but to shield, and once she raised her shield the cloak became useless.

Harry ducked and fired a blasting curse.

Rather than try to block it, "Susan" spun away from it again. She moved with fluid grace that spoke of intense training. She only made one mistake. Though she was obviously more skilled than either Harry or Ginny, she did not take into account how ridiculously overpowered the pair was.

Harry's emotionally charged blasting curse caused the wall behind "Susan" to explode as if a bomb hit it. Debris flew out to hit Harry, Ginny, and the fake Susan, tossing all three to the floor. Harry scrambled as quickly to his feet as he could and fired off more stunners, but the fake Susan had already rolled to her feet. She blocked a stunner, only to have her magical shield crack.

For the first time since battle began, her expression ceased to be so certain. The momentary uncertainty was not enough, however, to stop her from attacking. "_Avada Kedavra!_" she hissed, sending a green bolt of death toward Harry.

He jumped awkwardly away from the spell, using some of the intense training he'd received since school began. By that time Ginny was back on her feet and stood ten feet from Harry to form a cross-fire. The fake Susan laughed shrilly. "The fool and his whore," she said. "My master will reward me greatly when I…."

Not one for small talk, Harry shot another overcharged blasting curse. He aimed low intentionally, and this time Ginny shielded them as the floor where Susan stood exploded as if another bomb had gone off. Susan yelled in pain as broken stone struck her head. Ginny followed with a volley of stunners, disarming hexes and blasting curses in equal measure, while Harry shot another blasting curse at the floor behind the fake Susan.

As fast and skilled as the mystery witch was, she was not fast enough to avoid Harry's area-wide blasting curses while at the same time avoiding Ginny's volleys of equally powerful stunners. Susan raised her magical shield as best she could and ducked down to avoid Harry's blasting curse, but was still blown off her feet.

The shock of the explosion caused her to lose her shield just as one of Ginny's powerful stunners hit her right in the face. She somersaulted in the air and landed on her stomach with a grunt of released air. She did not rise after.

Moments later, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sirius and three aurors came tearing up the stairs. "Harry, Ginny, what is going on here?" Dumbledore said.

Harry and Ginny, though, walked to Susan's side just as the polyjuice potion wore off and revealed the twisted features of Bellatrix Lestrange. Sirius hissed angrily, while McGonagall gasped. Harry, though, was already digging in the witch's book back until his hand encountered something colder than ice.

He slowly removed the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. "Well," he said, "at least we have it now."


	42. Cut to the Bone

**Chapter Forty-Two: Cut to the Bone**

Amelia Bones emerged from the Headmaster's floo with an expression that could make Alastor Moody himself quail in fear. Fortunately, Moody came behind her, as did Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks and finally Sirius Black.

"Where is my niece!" the Minister for Magic demanded the moment she saw Dumbledore.

The Headmaster shook his head. "I do not believe she ever came back to us from the attack on Hogwarts, Amelia. We discovered an artfully concealed vial of polyjuice potion in her bandages—she most have had help from within the castle, but we don't know who yet. Regardless, it was Bellatrix Lestrange the entire time."

Amelia stood frozen in place, her eyes closed and her jaw trembling with overwhelming, towering rage. The men in the room watched as she struggled to bring that great, justifiable anger under control. "We need to take Lestrange in for questioning."

"Not a good idea, Amelia," Moody said.

She turned and glared, clearly not in a mood to brook any arguments. Moody stared right back, proving perhaps that her worse expression was not enough to make him quail in fear after all. "Think about it, Em," he said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "What do you think the dark factions of the Wizengamot will do if they find out that your niece was abducted? What kind of power might that have over anyone else?"

Amelia visibly paled.

"We have her as secured as well as any cell in the ministry," Dumbledore assured the Minister. "An unused room on the first floor, in an old wing of the castle no one visits. I've personally warded the chamber and had my entire staff double-check me to ensure she was secure."

Amelia began pacing while at the same time viciously chewing a strand of gray-blonde hair as if she were a teenager again. "So we have no idea where Susan is?" she demanded.

Shacklebolt shook his head somberly. "We've performed every trace we can. We suspect she's still alive just because of the need for polyjuice, but we can't know any more than that."

Madam Pompfrey emerged into the office and paused when she saw the Minister for Magic. "Headmaster, Minister. She's awake."

"Albus, thank you for your help. This is a Ministry matter and it is best for us to handle it." With that, and a nod to her aurors, Bones left the room and followed the mediwitch until they reached the converted cell.

As they stepped in to what appeared to be an old, unused office, Amelia could see the slightly dazed expression on the woman's face indicating the veritaserum was working. "Who dosed her?" she demanded.

"I did," Pomfrey said. "Three drops, and then a half drop because of her power and will. The potion has had time to work."

"Thank you, Madame," Bones said. "We require privacy now."

"Of course." Pomfrey paused long enough to say, "You get your niece back to us, Minister. In many ways, she's as much a leader for her house as you are for the nation. We need you both."

With that, Pomfrey left. Amelia, trying her best to take heart in the healer's words, turned to the captive death eater. "Bellatrix Lestrange," she said, "is Susan Bones alive?"

"Yes," the witch said, her head lolling to one said. "A blood traitor, but a pure blood still. Shame. Fenrir wants to eat her so badly."

Amelia paled and ground her teeth. "Where is she?"

"I cannot say," Lestrange said honestly.

"Fidelius then," Moody whispered.

"Will your master kill her?" Amelia said.

"No. A Bones will kill her." The witch started laughing.

"What were you doing in the castle?" Amelia said, stifling the stab of fear in her chest.

"Retrieving my master's property," Bellatrix said.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Yes."

"Is Voldemort's snake Nagini also a horcrux?"

Bellatrix visibly strained, fighting the effects of the potion. "Nnnnooooooooyyyyeeeeesssss."

"Is Nagini with Voldemort?"

"Yyyyeeessssss."

"How many followers does he have?"

"Over a hundred," Bellatrix said. She blinked. "But it won't matter. You won't live to see the war end. You're already dead!"

Without hesitation, Amelia removed her wand and stunned the witch. She turned to leave the room only to find Dumbledore in the doorway. "Headmaster," she said neutrally, "I said this is a Ministry matter. What are you doing here?"

"We've received an owl from Voldemort," he said. "A letter and a pensieve memory. Come, quickly."

Amelia's neutral tone faded before the urgency of the headmaster's words. She followed with Moody, while Shacklebolt stayed behind to guard Bellatrix.

The three of them made their way quickly through the otherwise empty halls of the castle, since it was late the evening of Lestrange's capture. They ascended to the Headmaster's tower and found a large, black-feathered eagle owl waiting for them. It looked like a Malfoy owl, though that alone did not help since the Malfoy Estate was under Fidelius as well.

Amelia took the parchment from the owl and read quickly. "The memory, quickly!"

Albus led her to his pensieve and she viewed the strand of memory. It lasted only a minute before she was back outside the pensieve, her eyes moist. "He says he'll trade Susan for Lestrange."

"Where?" Moody asked.

"In Hogsmeade in one hour."

Amelia barely made it back to the chairs by the headmaster's desk before she collapsed. "She's all I have left. My only family."

"Two can play the polyjuice came," Moody said. "I know the mad hag, I know her characteristics. Let me polyjuice her and go in her stead. We get little Susie back, and we put Lestrange on trial and throw her through the damned Veil."

"It's too dangerous," Albus said.

"Of course it's dangerous," Moody snapped back, as infuriated by Susan's abduction as Amelia was distraught. "But you're all set to throw a fifteen-year-old boy at the dark lord, so don't talk to me about risk. At least I'm a trained, informed adult." Moody stomped back to Amelia.

"You were the best student I ever had," he told her sincerely, his gruff voice oddly gentle. "And you're the best minister for magic we've had this century. Let me do this for you, Amelia. Let me get your little girl back for you."

Amelia sobbed once—just once. She then straightened, and through an effort of will that left both men in awe, she pushed her turbulent emotions back behind an icy, business-like mask. "Whatever you need, Alastor, I'll get for you."

Alastor nodded and turned to Albus. "I need your floo. We're going to be calling in everyone we can for this if it's going to work."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

It was a cold and overcast night when Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Albus Dumbledore arrived by portkey to the center of Hogsmeade Village with the seemingly drugged figure of Bellatrix in their center.

The street was quiet and barely lit with only the occasional streetlamp casting weak, flickering light over the cobblestones. The buildings rose up above the lights, barely outlines against the darker clouds of the skies.

"Death Eaters on the rooftops," the polyjuiced Moody said under his breath. He made sure to keep his face down and swayed as if under a potion's effects.

"I see them," Shacklebolt said while trying to keep his eyes straight ahead. "Hope Dawlish is getting the men in place and Black has the back-up force standing by."

They stopped in the exact center of town and waited for their opposites to appear. They had only a few minutes to wait before tThe air split before a massive crack. Voldemort suddenly stood before them with a terrified Susan Bones gripped in one hand.

"Susie, you okay, darling?" Amelia called.

"I'm okay, Auntie," Susan called back in a tremulous voice.

"Good evening, Amelia," Voldemort said. "I hope you're doing well. And Albus, my old friend. I suppose I should not be surprised to see you here."

"Hello, Tom," Albus said grimly. "I'm afraid the diadem has been thoroughly destroyed."

Voldemort's red eyes narrowed. "A shame," he said in a voice that could make ice itself shiver. "You don't know how much I wanted to make little Susie here watch as Fenrir ate her intestines."

The vicious werewolf stepped from a nearby shadow, grinning eagerly.

"But I just couldn't stand the thought of losing my dear Bellatrix," the Dark Lord continued. "It is hard to find loyalty like that these days, wouldn't you say? So, this is what we will do. You shall release Bellatrix and I shall release Miss Bones simultaneously, and when we have our respective parties, we will depart in peace."

"That is acceptable," Madame Bones said.

"Then on three, release her. One, two, three."

Shacklebolt let go of the polyjuiced Moody and Voldemort let go of Susan Bones, who stumbled a little but started walking toward her aunt. The figure of Bellatrix started laughing as she approached the Dark Lord, a sound so remarkably like the real Bellatrix it made the hackles on all the watchers stand on end.

What happened next was a blur, but everyone agreed it began when Voldemort flicked his wand at the figure of Bellatrix, and Moody's polyjuiced chest exploded in a shower of gore. "That is what happens to those who fail me!" Voldemort called in now open rage.

Around them all, Death Eaters stood to begin launching curses on the small party of ministry officials. Fortunately, Dawlish had done his work. Over a hundred aurors managed to sneak into position and as soon as the Death Eaters stood to being firing their curses, the Auror's launched their own lethal volley. That initial, surprised volley killed easily two dozen Death Eaters before the first enemy curse was cast, going a long way to even the otherwise uneven odds. In seconds, the village of Hogsmede was engulfed in a full-out battle.

Amelia raised a powerful _Fortis_ shield even as she summoned a squawking Susan into her arms. Shacklebolt was already launching powerful blasting curses into the lines of Death Eaters, while Dumbledore stepped forward, his eyes blazing with power, and struck at Voldemort with pure lightening that cracked through the village so loud everyone stopped for a moment to see.

When the flashes from their eyes faded, they saw Voldemort clutching his shoulder in pain, while his evil red eyes gave off a strange luminescence as he summoned his own awesome and terrible magic. In moments, a pillar of fire rose up into the night sky from Voldemort's wand and flashed down toward the headmaster.

Dumbledore raised his own wand and shot a spray of ice at the pillar of fire, neutralizing it. Amelia grabbed Susan's arm and started pulling her niece from the center of battle. She felt the apparition and portkey wards drop as soon as Moody died. She tried not to think about her old mentor as she continued to pull Susan.

"Auntie?" Susan whispered.

Amelia looked at her niece.

"I love you so much."

Amelia was one of the most powerful and effective aurors of her day—which explained her quick rise through the Ministry. Despite a lifetime of training, though, she never had a chance to avoid the knife that her niece plunged into her chest.

She fell back to the cobblestones of the street, too stunned to scream. As she did so, she saw for the first time in the dim light of the village the slight gray halo around her niece's irises, and realized Susie had been under the _Imperius_ this entire time.

She could feel poison in the blade, searing through her body and her magic. As she collapsed, the silver halo faded and Susan saw, and worse yet, completely understood the enormity of what she just did. Her eyes widened, her lips parted and she screamed in agony. She raised her wand not to Amelia, but to her own head.

_A Bones will kill her._

With her last strength, physical and magical, Amelia stunned her niece. Not to hurt her, but to keep her from hurting herself. With that last spell, Amelia's wand dropped from numb fingers and just moments later the Minister for Magic died.

No one in the battle realized immediately what was happening on the back of the street. The Death Eaters had grouped together, forming an organized and surprisingly well-trained retreat further up the street as the Ministry Aurors pushed them back.

In the center of the village, Voldemort and Dumbledore continued their incredible duel, using spells with power no one had ever imagined possible. And yet they were so evenly matched neither seemed to get the better of the other. Both men were injured now, though only Dumbledore's blood ran red.

"You won't win, Tom," Dumbledore said. He could no longer hide his heavy breathing, but since Voldemort was also breathing hard, he felt no need to. "The people of England will not stand by and watch your reign of terror a second time."

"Oh," Voldemort said with a deaths-head grin. "And who do you think will lead them against me?"

Dumbledore saw in Voldemort's gaze a terrible truth. He could not help but look over his shoulder at the scene behind him, and as he did the hope he had managed to claw together collapsed.

He saw Amelia Bones lying in the middle of the street with the handle of a dagger protruding from her unmoving chest, while nearby Susan Bones crumpled on the stones as well. That one moment of despair provided the distraction Voldemort needed.

The Dark Lord's spell was ancient Egyption in nature and slow to cast, which is why it was used so rarely. Dumbledore had just the briefest moment to raise his shields as the black rush of magic struck. Though he did raise a shield, it was not enough to block the entire curse. A small spear of darkness stabbed though Dumbledore's magic and into his arm.

The headmaster cried out and stumbled even as Voldemort laughed. "It is you who cannot win now, Dumbledore!" he cried.

Voldemort had only a moment to enjoy his victory before a blasting curse flew toward him, forcing the Dark Lord to spin away. He snarled at the interruption as Sirius Black rushed forward, flanked by a full squad of hitwizards and auror reinforcements. Sirius was casting furiously with every destructive curse he knew, as were all the reinforcements that arrived at his back.

As powerful as he was, Voldemort knew he was injured and did not have the energy left to hold off so many in a prolonged battle. The battle with Dumbledore sapped him of a huge amount of both his magic and his physical strength. However, looking at the bodies of the Bones girls, and at the now kneeling Dumbledore, he knew this day was his.

"Death Eaters, away!" he said. He disapparated.

In numbing silence of the aftermath, Sirius ran to Dumbledore, who clutched his wand arm but still shook his head. "No," the headmaster said, "see to Amelia!"

Sirius's eyes widened. "Amelia?" He turned and saw where Shacklebolt and the auror healer was already kneeling beside the body. He ran as fast as he could, stopping only when he was there.

Amelia's body was already cold—the knife in her chest did not move, nor did she.

Shacklebolt sat beside her, unabashedly crying. "She's gone," he sobbed.

Sirius felt his legs buckle. "What happened?"

The healer, who served as the magical equivalent of a forensics expert, ran his wand over the knife. "It has Miss Bone's magical signature on it," he said. He looked at the stunned girl. "And Amelia's stunner was a fraction of its normal power. If I had to guess, I'd say the poor girl was under the Imperius. Amelia probably stunned her to keep her from harming herself."

"That's exactly what Amelia would do," Sirius said, sobbing now himself.

Slowly, other aurors began forming a circle around their fallen minister. Only then did they see Albus arrive. "What are we going to do?" Sirius asked the wounded headmaster.

"We're going to continue Amelia's legacy," Dumbledore said tiredly. "Aurors, please escort Miss Bones to Hogwarts. Ask Poppy to give her a dreamless potion. She will need counseling to overcome this tragedy. Kingsley, as vested in me as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I am appointing you as interim Minister of Magic until such time as an election can be held. Where is Alastor? I'm going to need him as well."

Shacklebolt stood and put a hand on Dumbledore's good shoulder. "Headmaster, he was the first killed. Did you not see?"

Dumbledore blinked—there was no twinkle in his eyes. "Ahh, yes, yes I did. Thank you. Times are dire, Kingsley. We're going to need to find the strength to continue. If you'll forgive me, though, I need to get home. Ariana is waiting for me, I'm sure."

"Headmaster?" Kingsley said in confusion.

Dumbledore turned to leave and made it three steps before his right knee buckled and he fell to it. "Goodness me," he said to no one in particular. "How did I get so very old?"

He then fell over sideways, all the time clutching his shoulder.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The news was in the paper the next morning as the students gathered for breakfast. The whole hall was so quiet the only sound that could be heard was the turning of the newspaper pages. Ginny and Harry both read the story with tears in their eyes, while Hermione buried her face in her hands. At the head table, the center chair was noticeably empty, though Professor McGonagall was there.

When she saw most of the students gather, McGonagall stood. "May I have your attention," she said with a _sonorous_ charm. "As you have no doubt read, last night our Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, was murdered by Voldemort in Hogsmeade. In fact it was the largest battle fought between Ministry forces and the insurrectionists. While almost fifty Death Eaters were killed or captured compared to only twenty Ministry personnel, nonetheless we suffered a terrible blow with Madam Bones's death."

She took a deep breath. "Our own headmaster engaged Voldemort in a duel, causing the Dark Lord severe injury, but he himself was also injured and is being treated by the finest healers. All our thoughts are with him, and with our dear Hufflepuff, Susan Bones, during these hard times. Because of this, classes are hereby cancelled for the day. I ask everyone to stay on castle grounds, and all third years and under, to please stay within the castle proper for your own safety."

She finished with a firm, somber nod and sat down. Almost immediately the whispers started up again.

"I'm not hungry," Harry said softly. Next to him, James started to cry, though softly, against his mother's shoulder.

Ginny was weeping as well. "I'm not either," she said.

The two young parents stood from the table and started back to their suite. Around them, the castle itself seemed to be weeping. The feeling in the air was of almost overwhelming grief and lost. "Do you think they'd let us see at least Susan?" Harry asked.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," Ginny said.

The couple made their way to the hospital, only to find Sirius running toward them. "Harry, Ginny!" he said urgently. "Do you have the map?"

"What?"

"The Marauder's Map!" Sirius shouted urgently. "Susan Bones snuck out of the hospital wing. We need to find her!"

Harry dug into the pockets of his robe and removed the map. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The map unfolded to reveal the castle and all those in it. Sirius snatched it from Harry's hands, though he did not protest his godfather's need. Sirius scanned it eagerly, until his face paled. "Oh no!"

He turned and ran with the map clutched in his hands. Harry and Ginny, with James in Ginny's arms, rushed after him. They went up to the third floor where they found Sirius looking into what appeared to be an unused classroom. Before he could stop them, Harry and Ginny reached it and looked inside.

A mangled body lay within, with splattered blood on the wall behind it. Sirius rushed inside and checked the body. Harry and Ginny followed to just inside the door, and only then noticed a stunned auror on the floor. Without thinking about it, Harry said, "_Reenervate_!"

The auror came to, sputtering. "Miss Bones!" he said.

Sirius jumped to his feet, and then started to scan the map. "She's going to the astronomy tower," he said.

"Who, Susan?" Harry asked.

"The news didn't say how Amelia died," Sirius said. "It was Susan. Voldemort put her under the Imperius and forced her to kill her own aunt."

"Oh Circe," Ginny whispered.

"Let's go!" Harry said.

He, Sirius and behind them Ginny with James in her arms ran toward the stairs leading to the roof of the astronomy tower. They ran as fast as they could, and all three were winded when they reached the top.

Susan Bones stood on the crenellation of the tower, just inches from the three hundred foot drop to the courtyard below. "Susan, don't!" Harry cried out.

She turned to look at him and the others, and he could see Bellatrix Lestrange's blood all over her cheeks and hands. "At least I made the bitch pay," was all Susan said before she calmly stepped off the edge.

"No!" Ginny screamed in horror. James started crying in earnest, while Harry and Sirius rushed to the edge. They arrived just in time to see a pair of second year girls screaming at the sight of Susan Bone's skull gushing out blood in the courtyard of the castle.


	43. A Little Light in the Dark

**Chapter Forty-Three: A Little Light in the Dark **

"_At least I made the bitch pay," Susan said. She jumped._

"_Accio Susan!" Harry cried desperately. The startled girl with the light strawberry-blonde hair flew back over the parapet of the astronomy tower into Harry's arms, sobbing. _

"_Thank you, thank you!" she cried as she clung desperately to Harry. She reached up and kissed him, and suddenly it was not Susan, but Ginny. She was kissing him with growing passion, until both became aware of something wet on their lips that should not have been there._

_They parted and Harry stared in horror at the blood covering Ginny's face. "I don't think you got to me in time," she said, before her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed to the floor, bleeding out of a crushed skull. _

Harry woke from the nightmare with an inarticulate moan, followed moments later by Ginny. In the nursery, James started crying as he felt the pain and anguish from his parent's nightmare. For a moment, neither could find within them the will to go comfort their child. Both were too broken by what they witnessed the previous day to handle it themselves. Every minute following Susan's death, the two went over everything in their minds. Harry bitterly hated himself for not thinking of the summoning charm, but it all happened so quickly he didn't have time to overcome his own shock.

Their dark thoughts were interrupted when they heard a knock on their door. With a sigh, Harry stood and stumbled to the door, while Ginny went to check James.

He was surprised to see Professor McGonagall on the other side. In the past three days the professor appeared to have aged ten years. She stood with slumped shoulders and dark rings around her eyes as her exhaustion and even hopelessness showed.

"Are you quite all right?" she asked, noticing the dark, tired expression on her students' faces. Ginny was just then moving to go into the nursery to comfort James.

"Just a nightmare," he told his head of house.

McGonagall nodded. "That is understandable, all things considered. I'm sorry to bother you so late, but the Headmaster has asked to see you both. He…well, you need to see for yourselves, I suppose."

Ginny had come back in her night robe, cradling the still upset baby. "Professor?"

"You heard that the Headmaster was injured during his duel with…Voldermort," she said with a shudder. "The Ministry has not released the extent of his injuries. Harry, Ginny…I don't know how to tell you this, but Dumbledore is dying. The curse he was struck with has no counter. If not for his own significant power, he would be dead by now."

Harry felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. "What are we going to do?" he whispered.

"Our very best," McGonagall said, raising her chin as if to challenge her own despair. "Come, now. We don't have much time."

She led them through the otherwise empty Gryffindor tower and into the hall. Harry was startled by the sheer number of people who were milling about in the halls. Most were senior Wizengamot members, though there were also a large number of Aurors. Without being asked, Harry watched as at a pair of those arurors fell in with the four of them, since Ginny carried James with them. Harry recognized at least one of them as one of Sirius's aurors from the train.

The man nodded to Harry, acknowledging his recognition. "Jameson Patil," he said in respectful tones. "Padma and Parvati's brother."

Ginny for her part forced a smile at the man. "Parvati's talked about you," she said. "She's very proud of you."

"And I'm proud of her and her sister. And of you two," Jameson said.

McGonagall said nothing, though her shoulders hitched as if her breath caught. They made their way through the halls until they reached not the headmaster's suite, but the hospital wing. Two more aurors stood at attention on either side. Both nodded to McGonagall as she led her students through.

The inside of the wing was dimly lit and not as crowded as the hall outside it. They could see Kingsley Shacklebolt standing nearby talking with Sirius and Arthur Weasley. Molly was in a corner talking to Andromeda Tonks, while standing in the middle of the room stood a large man with a thick, iron-gray beard and a nose that looked oddly reminiscent of Dumbledore's.

"Is that the headmaster's brother?" Ginny whispered.

The old man somehow heard the whisper and looked at Ginny. He rolled into motion, much like a rock suddenly shaken from its rest, until he stopped before the deputy headmistress. "I would have words with them," he said brusquely.

McGonagall looked undecided for a moment, before nodding. "Very well. I'll remain close by."

She left Harry and Ginny, and their young son, to stand before the brother of the most powerful wizard of his age. Aberforth stared at them with eyes a shade more gray than blue, with no hint of Dumbledore's famous twinkle. "My brother is fading quickly," he said. "He has asked to speak to you, but he may not always be cogent. You will hear things that are for your ears alone. Come now."

He led them through the hospital wing, and they felt the eyes of the adults boring into them as they entered a quieted ward around the headmaster's bed. Madame Pomfrey was there with two other healers from St. Mungos, and none of them looked hopeful.

"We need a few minutes," Aberforth said, still in that brusque, unfriendly tone.

Pomfrey nodded and led the other healers away, while Aberforth pointed to a pair of seats by the bed. Harry and Ginny both sat. They watched with shock as Aberforth leaned over and with a sharp smack, slapped his brother.

"Brian, wake up you lazy bastard," Aberforth said.

Clouded, confused blue eyes opened. "Abe, where is Ariana?"

"Playing in the back. You wanted to see the kids. Remember? The Potters?"

"Potters?" The old man turned to Harry and Ginny. "Ahh, James and Lily, how lovely to see you. I hope you're doing well. Make sure not to leave your home. Voldemort wants to kill poor Harry." Abruptly the headmaster started crying. Huge, body-shaking sobs struck without warning. "Oh that poor boy. What terrible things I did to him. I thought I was doing the right thing. I was so wrong. I hope he can forgive me." Suddenly the tears ended. "Abe, where is Ariana?"

"In the back, playing," Abe said again.

"Good. It would break my heart if anything were to ever happen to her. I don't care what Gellert says. Those damned muggles will never touch her, even if I have to kill the whole lot of him."

Harry struggled to breathe and looked up to see iron-gray eyes boring into his as Aberforth stared pointedly back at him. "Professor Dumbledore," Harry said. "It's Harry. Harry and Ginny Potter. You asked for us."

The headmaster's face wrinkled in thought, as if it were the hardest thing he'd ever done. "Ahh, yes. Harry. Thank you so much for coming. I'm so very sorry. Snape made the unbreakable vow, you see. He's going to have to take your son. I'm so sorry. But it's the only way. Only way to end the war. Talk to Severus. Poor lad. So many people have suffered so badly. Don't think too ill of him, Harry. He is not a good man, but like any dog, if you kick him enough he will eventually bite. And poor Severus has been kicked so viciously by so many. It just is your misfortune that you look like the man who kicked him hardest. But we don't have much time. I won the duel with Tom. Though he hurt me, I fought him back."

"You did," Harry agreed. That's what he had heard, in any event.

"So the wand still acknowledges me as master." A shaking hand lifted to show his old wand. "You must defeat me, Harry. You must take the wand by force. It must be your wand."

"I don't understand," Harry said.

"It's the Elder Wand, you fool," Aberforth snapped, suddenly furious for some reason. "The Deathstick. A Deathly Hallow. He won it from Grindelwald. It's the only hope you have to defeat that Dark Lord of yours."

"But if I shot a spell at him, it could kill him," Harry said.

Aberforth leaned over and captured Harry in a sharp gaze. "Listen, boy. He's not going to live the day regardless. This is his final wish—that you have the Elder Wand. Of all of us here, he deserves to die by your hand. Do as he asks for all our sakes."

Harry nervously stood and walked to the foot of the bed where he removed his own phoenix-feather wand. Dumbledore was looking at him now with blood-shot eyes. Suddenly they lost focus. "Gellert, no! Ariana!" His eyes lost all focus as he lifted his wand and yelled, "_Confringo!_"

Those watching suddenly rushed forward, only to be blown back by a wind spell from Aberforth. Harry meanwhile raised his shield and deflected the weak blasting curse. "Professor, forgive me," he said. "_Expelliarmus!_"

His spell, cast at a mere fraction of his power, struck the frail headmaster and tossed him out of bed, while his wand flew into Harry's waiting hands. He then rushed to the old man's side while Aberforth stood at the foot of the bed, holding everyone back with a powerful temporary ward. Though he was not as famous as Albus Dumbledore, it was clear Aberforth was not without great power himself.

Harry cradled the old wizard's head. "Professor," he whispered through his tears. "Albus. Please answer me."

Old eyes opened, and for a brief moment there was clarity. "Well done, Harry. Well done, my boy." And with that last utterance, Albus Dumbledore fell terribly still. A long, slow exhale escaped his lips, and before their eyes the greatest wizard of his generation died.

Aberforth let the ward fall. "The boy did exactly as Albus asked of him," the last Dumbledore said to the obviously angry crowd. "You'll abide by my brother's wishes. Now give us our time. Leave." The last was a rumbling bellow that made even Kingsley Shacklebolt blink in surprise. When they were alone, Aberforth walked to his brother's body, while Ginny knelt beside Harry holding their son.

Harry let Dumbledore's old head rest gently against the stone tiles before he looked up at Aberforth. "Gellert as in Gellert Grindlewald?" Harry asked.

"The greatest hates are always spawned from the deepest love," Aberforth said. "Why do you think he never married? He could have had any witch in the country, starting with McGonagall."

"And you?"

"He never married because he loved men," Aberforth said brusquely. "I never married because I hate women. I hate everyone. He would never admit he was broken. I at least admit that I'm not right. Neither of us ever were. We were broken when our sister was attacked by muggles and our father died in Azkaban for avenging her. And now you know the dark, sordid history of Albus Dumbledore."

"He was a great man," Harry said through his tears. "Even great men make mistakes. The fact he wasn't perfect just proves how great he was."

Aberforth stared long and hard at Harry, and for the very first time he and Ginny saw a hint of emotion in the iron-like face. There was a hint of a shimmer in his grey eyes, as if a promise of tears. "When they gather around his grave and treat him like the second coming of Merlin, you'll be the only person there who actually understands. And that, boy, is why you were the only other person in his life he loved after Ariana died, including his own brother. Remember that."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Harry and Ginny ignored the headlines the next day, and the loud whispers that the Board of Governors was considering closing the school. Instead, they asked Molly to watch James and then made their way through the dungeons of the castle until they arrived at Professor Snape's quarters and knocked twice.

After the second knock, Snape opened it and both were shocked at his appearance. The man had lost at least four stone, and considering how thin he was to begin with, it left him looking near skeletal. The effect made his dark eyes look all the more sinister. His sneer upon seeing them looked ghastly, making him look for all the world like the Grim Reaper.

"So the old fool told you before the end?"

"He said you'd made an Unbreakable Vow to abduct our son," Harry said.

"Pain and death in a minute, or drawn out for a year. Which would you chose?" Severus said. "The Dark Lord knows about the horcruxes. Why else do you think he would send Bella to Hogwarts to fetch his last one?"

He turned from the door and shambled further inside, leaving it open in an unspoken invitation. Harry and Ginny stepped inside. Elves had thoroughly cleaned all evidence of his sickness earlier, so the two only saw an immaculately kept living space.

Snape collapsed into an oversized chair by a fireplace. There was no other chair, and so the young couple stood nearby, holding hands. "Before the attack the old fool had a plan for me to take your boy with a tracer on him. He thought you would be able to locate him through a Fidelius Charm and break the charm so the Ministry could attack. He was trying to save me like he always does. He never knows when to give up. He cried over Malfoy; the boy delivered you to your death, and Albus cried over him for a day."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Because he died?"

"No, because he chose his father's path," Severus said. For a moment, the sarcasm was absent as he too felt the pain of losing his godson. "Foolish boy."

"Could we beat the Dark Lord?" Harry asked. "Could Ginny and I defeat him?"

"Not bloody likely," Severus said with a snort. "It doesn't matter how powerful you are. You two are like a big muggle cannon. You can blow buildings apart. But Voldemort is like a rapier in the hands of a master. For all he lacks in power compared to you, he has training enough to render your power useless while he cuts out your hearts. You cannot hope to defeat him in an even duel."

"Then what do we do?" Ginny asked.

"Cheat, of course," Severus said. "That's why Albus made you take his wand."

Harry held his new wand, feeling the power in it. Ginny gripped his old wand firmly, since his original wand still was the one that worked best for her. "Tell me about the Deathly Hallows," he said.

"You've never read _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_?"

"Muggle raised, remember?" Harry said.

"I've read the fairy tales," Ginny said. "Death gave three gifts to each of the Peverell brothers. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility."

"And now you have two of them," Snape said.

Ginny's eyes widened. "You mean the cloak?"

"The Potters are the main line from Ignotus Peverell's family."

"And the stone?"

"Ask your mutt of a godfather, he removed the Horcrux from it."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, then at Snape. "How long do you have for the vow?"

"Until the end of the year."

"We need to think," Ginny said. "But don't give up yet."

"So I'm to place my life in the hands of the almighty Harry Potter?" Severus snarled.

"Aberforth said the greatest hates are born from the strongest loves," Ginny said as she stared at Snape's twisted aura. "Who did you love so much that it would create so much hate?"

"Get out," Snape snarled with narrow eyes.

"We'll keep in touch," Harry said. The two stood and left, leaving Severus alone and shivering by his fire.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

When Harry and Ginny found Sirius, who was still at the castle with a squad of Aurors, he listened to their request with a contemplative expression. "The Department of Mysteries has it. They helped remove the Horcrux. But Shacklebolt will get it back for you if you need it. Mind telling me what it's about?"

They sat in Harry and Ginny's personal quarters while Ginny fed James.

"According to Snape, it's the Resurrection Stone," Harry explained.

"A Deathly Hallow?" Sirius said. "Those are just a myth!"

Harry help up his new wand. "This is the Elder Wand. It's why Professor Dumbledore made me take it from him in battle. He wanted to give me every edge he could." The two filled Sirius in with the situation Snape was in.

Not surprising, Sirius was not very sympathetic to the potions professor. "So what do you want to do?"

"We want to end the war," Harry said. "But we need help. We can't do it by ourselves, but if the prophecy is to be believed you can't do it without us. So we need to make up a plan that might actually work. We need help, Sirius."

"You've only ever needed to ask," Sirius assured him. The newly promoted Head Auror stood and looked around the room. "Kingsley has convinced the Board of Governors that the students are safer in Hogwarts than home, so school will remain in session for now. Stay here, attend your classes and keep to your dueling exercises. I will work with Kingsly and others to try and come up with a plan. In the meantime, stay away from Snape. I don't want to tempt him too badly."

"We will," Harry promised.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

On the eve of the funeral, while Harry and Ginny were in their suite comforting each other, Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room staring at the same page of a book she had held for the past thirty minutes.

She was through crying. Now she had moved into a sense of detached shock. Susan was dead. Hannah was dead. Though they were not her best friends, they were friends nonetheless.

Amelia Bones was dead. Dumbledore was dead.

She felt as if her world had fallen out from under her feet. Though she had always feared Voldemort, that fear had always been buoyed by a faith that the government would step in; that Authority would triumph. But then Authority was murdered in the street by her own niece, who then committed suicide the very next day. Authority was struck down by a curse before an entire village.

Authority died, and Hermione found herself floundering with a helplessness she had never felt before. She did not know what to do or who to turn to. With Harry and Ginny gone, she felt vulnerable and terribly alone.

Suddenly Ron sat next to her and handed her a butterbeer. "Drink."

"I'm reading."

Ron snorted. "No you aren't. Haven't turned a page since you sat down."

She blinked, surprised that he noticed. Ron tended not to notice things.

"Hard to believe he's gone," the youngest Weasley male said. "Never thought it. You know, he wasn't as old as I thought. I thought he was like a hundred and fifty or so, but he was really only a hundred and fifteen. Born 1881. Great man. Great man."

Hermione sipped the butterbeer numbly. "What are we going to do, Ron?" she finally asked.

He shrugged. "What we always do. We're going to help Harry and Ginny. You're going to study and be the brains, and I'm going to look pretty, and then when the time comes we'll be there when they need us."

She stared at him as he chugged his own drink. "You're sounding…intelligent. Who are you and what have you done with Ron?"

"I fed him polyjuice with cat hair and sent him to the girl's loo," Ron said with a smirk.

The memory caught her so off-guard she snorted in laughter. The release was so unexpected she could not control herself when the laughter turned to tears, and she found herself clutching this boy who had been an infuriating part of her life since just after her 12th birthday.

And when the worst of the tears faded, she looked up and found herself staring into his brown eyes, and without hesitation or doubt, she leaned forward until their lips met. He kissed her right back, and the two lost each other in their very first kiss.

When at last they parted, they looked at each other in surprise, as if seeing the other for the very first time. "Er, have I ever told you how pretty I think you are?" he managed to say.

"No."

"Ginny says I never told you 'cause I'm a git."

"You are."

"Will you be my girlfriend anyway?"

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip a moment before nodding. "Will you still like me even if I nag you to do your homework?"

"Never kept me from liking you before," he said. "I've liked you since second year. I just…I don't talk good. Not like you do or like Harry since he met Ginny. But…I really do like you. Please don't let me screw things up with us, okay?"

"It'll be a tall order," Hermione said through her tears. "But I'll try."

"Good," he said. "'Cause I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd flunk out."

"At the least," he agreed. "Er, 'Mione, could I kiss you again?"

"Yes, please."

And that's how they finished the day, trying to ward off the darkness of the days with a little light from each other.


	44. Phoenix's Last Song

Just a reminder that previous chapter review responses are posted weekly in my forums.

Note: Chapter revised 11/15 because, as many of you pointed out, Moody is dead. The original was the wrong version, from before my hasty re-write. My apologies for the mistake.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Four: Phoenix's Last Song**

There was no word in any news source of how Albus Dumbledore died. No one knew that it was Harry Potter who effectively finished the old wizard off, because those who witnessed it refused to say. Instead, the papers were filled with long obituaries and remembrances from his friends and even longer ones from his enemies.

In a separate book, his death was also marked by a hateful biography by Rita Skeeter that had just enough truth to be dangerous.

None of that mattered as Harry pulled on his best dress robes before holding James as Ginny did the same. It was October 14th; the day Albus Dumbledore was to be buried.

The procession started at the courtyard in front of the castle. Aberforth, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pamona Sprout and Aurora Sinestra standing in for Slytherin levitated the bier holding the body, while behind them hundreds gathered to pay their last respects.

The air was brisk and sharp that morning as the professors and Aberforth left the castle and walked down toward the lake. Following immediately behind him was the newly confirmed Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, along with many members of the Order of the Phoenix. Behind them came Sirius Black and a contingent of aurors who walked in a loose formation around Harry, Ginny and James, while the rest of the students, alumni and wizarding officials followed after behind Cedric Diggory, Head Boy.

Elphias Doge, an old friend of Dumbledore's, was the first to speak. Others followed, waxing eloquent about what a great man the professor was. Harry did not listen. Instead, he thought about what he had learned of the man who had shaped so very much of his life—both the good parts and the bad.

Ginny took his hand and he smiled up at her, while James played with a shimmering bauble Molly had given him.

_Do you think he engineered our meeting?_

Ginny blinked at him, surprised at the thought. _What do you mean?_

He shared his first memory of the Weasley's with Ginny, and she frowned a little as she realized how odd her mother's behavior was that one and only year. _Maybe he realized you would be alone that first time. I wouldn't put it past him to have mother do that. And she would've done it for you or any other boy who needed help. One of Bill's friends was muggle-born and she just took the boy in as her own just like she did you._

Harry nodded, accepting her thought. _I wonder why._

She squeezed his hand. _When we read Professor Dumbledore's aura, he always had that thin core of dark buried in the light. And the day he died…_ She stopped that thought, not wishing to dwell on it. _I think he made a lot of mistakes, Harry. He wasn't a general or a strategist. He was a school professor. You read a little bit of that awful book Skeeter wrote. And you heard what Aberforth said. People turned to him because he had power and was willing to make decisions, but they weren't always the right decisions. His mistake as a young man cost the life of his sister. His mistakes with a middle-aged professor with Tom Riddle cost England two wars, and his mistakes with you cost your childhood and almost your life. And every time he made one of those mistakes, he beat himself up inside until he could figure out a way to try and make it better. With Ariana, he risked everything to stop his lover. With Tom, he dedicated himself to creating an organization to stop him. And with you…he gave you my family._

_And maybe you_?

_Do you believe that? I am yours, Harry James Potter, because as a boy you were willing to sacrifice your very soul to save mine. And I will be yours forever, because I would happily do the same for you._

"Would anyone else like to speak?"

Harry and Ginny looked up from their conversation and saw that the Minister for Magic was looking over the audience. Ginny squeezed his hands one more time, and with her pushing, Harry stood.

The whole audience watched as Harry clumsily made his way through the line of conjured chairs until he climbed the small podium that was erected at the head of the grave. He found himself looking at Aberforth as he forced the words out.

"A lot of things have been said about Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore in the past few days. Some have been hateful; many have been loving. But what none of them seem to talk about is this—Albus Dumbledore was a man. He was a powerful wizard, no doubt. He was an accomplished academic. But in the end, he was born—and he died—as a man.

"Like all men, he had triumphs and defeats. He made terrible mistakes, and he faced the consequences of those mistakes as best he could with quiet bravery. But it is how we learn from our mistakes that make the difference between men and great men. Albus Dumbledore, through his life, did many things that hurt many people. Not because he wanted to, but because he felt he had to. There was a darkness inside him born of his willingness to do what others feared to. But in the end, the darkness within him caused his light to shine all the brighter. I cannot tell you if I love him or not, though I think in the end I'll find I do, but I can say without hesitation that I will always respect him, and I will never, ever forget him, because Albus Dumbledore was a great man."

Harry smiled weakly as he felt all the eyes on him, and turned to leave the podium. As he did so, all of them, the entire audience, looked up as they heard a heart-breaking song echo across the valley. Above them, Fawkes was making one last flight above his master's head. With a flare of Phoenix Fire and a burst of one last song, Fawkes left Hogwarts forever.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

On the day after the funeral, Harry and Ginny were woken two hours before sunrise by a loud banging on their door. Harry jumped to his feet, threw on a robe and grabbed the Elder Wand. "Who is it?" he asked through the door.

His answer was, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

The bellow woke James, who started crying. Harry opened the door a crack. "Nice try. Moody's dead."

"Then try this," came Sirius's voice. "Open the damned door. We're leaving."

Harry opened the door to see his godfather standing there with somber expression. "We have classes," Harry said.

"Forget classes, Harry," Sirius said. "From this point on you're not a student. You're a Ministry asset. You told me you wanted help; well, you're getting it. You have twenty minutes. Bring that cloak of yours as well."

Thirty minutes later (Harry dared Sirius to get ready in twenty minutes with a baby) the three of them walked through the still mostly empty halls to the Headmaster's office. He was startled to see several trunks along one wall, and all of the Headmaster's personal belongings already gone. Professor McGonagall stood over the desk, looking around her and obviously trying to decide where her things were going to go.

She looked up as Sirius led the way into the room. "Harry, Ginny," she said by way of greeting. "You'll be going via floo directly to the Ministry of Magic. However, before you go we are going to need several hair samples."

"Polyjuice?" Harry guessed, remembering his second year.

"Yes," McGonagall said. "Two volunteers will be impersonating you occasionally throughout the day. We will let Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley know so they can help maintain the illusion. I don't know when you'll be back, but I'll have the elves forward your personal belongings."

Before McGonagall could say anything more, Ginny stepped forward and wrapped the older woman in a tight hug. "It'll be okay," Ginny said. "We'll be okay. And we'll be back when this is all done."

McGonagall smiled down fondly at the shorter girl. "I would hope so," she said gently. "Go on, now. Make Hogwarts proud."

When they emerged into the Ministry atrium, they discovered that James Orion Potter did not like the floo network. He _really_ did not like the floo. His screams were not of pain, but of infantile outrage at being subjected to such an indignity.

"Just like you, Harry," Ginny said with a grin.

"More than you might think," Sirius said. "He screamed just like that as a baby too."

They were met by Kingsley, Tonks, and Arthur Weasley. "Good morning," Kingsley said with his deep, warm voice. "I'm sorry to pull you out of bed so early, but we wanted to get you out of the castle before anyone noticed you were gone. Please come with me."

He led them through the empty, labyrinthine Ministry, until they arrived at a darkened circular room occupied by a single raised platform. Upon that platform rested a black stone archway. The air underneath the arch shimmered with magic that made Harry ache for some reason.

An old wizard stood near the archway and only turned to face them when they were a foot or so away. "Harry, Ginny," Shacklebolt said, "this is Head Unspeakable Algie Croaker. Algie, may I present the Potter family?"

"A pleasure," Croaker said in a dull-sounding, unenthusiastic voice. "You have the other Hallows?"

Harry nodded.

"Put on the cloak," Croaker instructed. "Leave your head exposed, please."

Harry did as he was told. Once the cloak was over his shoulders, he held his wand. As he did so, he heard a strong whisper coming from the archway. Croaker watched Harry's eyes flick to the archway and nodded. "Hear them, do you?"

"I do," Harry admitted. "What are they?"

"The dead. Take the stone, boy. Be the Master of Death."

He held the cracked ring with the black stone that Sirius and Remus discovered so many months before. Harry started to reach for it, but hesitated. "What will happen?"

"I don't know," Croaker admitted, with the very first hint of life—he was excited. "No one has ever possessed all three hallows before."

Harry looked to Ginny, who shrugged, and Sirius, who nodded. He took one last breath, and then reached for the ring.

The moment he touched it, a rush of voices invaded his mind. He was only dimly aware of Ginny gasping as well. The voices roared not with volume but with numbers, overwhelming his thoughts and leaving him raw and trembling.

That is, until one voice emerged from the din—a familiar voice. _Be strong, Harry_, the voice of Albus Dumbledore said. _You are not alone, even here._

_What's happening?_ Harry asked.

_The Hallows have opened your mind, Harry. Of the three Peverells, the line of Ignotus was the only one who used his Hallow wisely, and so it falls to the last of his line to possess all three. You are a master of the dead, able to speak and command those who have departed at will._

_Like my parents?_

_We're here, Harry._

He heard a gasp as he fell to his knees, and felt Ginny clinging to him. "Mum? Dad?" he whispered aloud.

_We're here,_ came his mother's voice. _We're so very proud of you, Harry. You've done so very much. You're almost done. The war is almost done._

_How do you know?_

It was his father's voice that answered. _Because everything is coming together. The time is approaching. Trust your friends. We will be with you. All of us._

With Albus and his parents standing guard, the rush of sound from the other voices eased. Harry was able to open his eyes and saw Croaker staring at him intently, while Sirius and Arthur knelt on either side of him.

"I'm okay," he told them. He looked at Sirius and felt a spot of moisture in his eyes as his new guardian spirits continued to speak to him. "Dad says hello. Mum says you should shave."

Sirius gaped, and then grinned as a tear ran down one cheek. "You can hear them?"

"They're keeping the others back," Harry said. "So I can think. Professor Dumbledore is there too." He turned to Croaker. "What does this mean?"

"It means, boy, that you have the best teachers to have ever lived at your beck and call," the Unspeakable said. "And we have the next seven months to make sure you have a chance to actually survive your encounter with Voldemort."

"Why seven months?"

"Because of Snape," Ginny said. She looked at Croaker. "We're going to use him."

"Indeed we are," Croaker said.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

No one dared speak to the Dark Lord. None dared even approach him unless he called.

Bellatrix Lestrange was dead.

The death of the other Lestranges was a blow, as was the death of Malfoy. But there was always an unspoken feeling among the Death Eaters that Bellatrix would never die; that her passion and fanaticism would keep her free and whole to serve the Dark Lord. She had taken on a mantle of near invulnerability.

Voldemort knew the moment he saw the eyes of the imposter in Hogsmeade that she was not his beloved Bella. He spoke as he did in the hopes that the fools at the Ministry would spare her an immediate death thinking he had rejected her. It was a desperate gamble until he ordered Snape to recover her.

Who knew that Amelia's whore of a niece had a backbone?

He had his first true victory—Albus Dumbledore, his most hated adversary—was dead at last. Even better, Amelia Bones was dead. Shacklebolt did not have the political acumen Bones did, nor did he possess that quality of leadership that made Bones so dangerous to his cause.

His own injury was grave, but he knew he would survive. With the death of the two leaders of the light, it should have been a joyous occasion.

Until word reached him that Susan Bones killed his beloved Bella shortly before taking her own life. He looked about his chamber in the Malfoy Manor, suddenly feeling the need to kill. He seriously considered apparating directly to London to kill the muggle leaders, but the major government buildings had wards almost as strong as the Ministry of Magic. His spies also told him that Amelia had set up a quick reaction team with the muggles that might even pose a danger to him.

A soft knock at the door distracted him with the promise of an unwitting messenger to torture. "Come," he said in a silky tone.

The door opened and Augustus Rookwood stepped in. "Forgive me for my intrusion, m'lord, but I have vital news from Snape."

"Speak, then."

"Snape says he has discovered that Potter and his family are no longer at Hogwarts. They have been gone for two weeks now."

"Where are they?"

"He says they left Hogwarts for the Ministry of Magic where they were escorted into the Department of Mysteries. They left the Ministry Building later that day. Snape believes they are in one of the MoM safe houses; it is just a matter of finding which one."

"How many are there?"

"A dozen or so, all under the Fidelius charm. However, there are three secret keepers. Black is one. Croaker is a second, and we believe the third is a senior auror named Gowain Robards who was originally in line to be head auror before Black was promoted over him."

Voldemort felt his bloodlust fade before the opportunities presented. "You have done well to bring this to me, Augustus. And it appears Snape has finally chosen a side. Put this Robards under the Imperius by the end of the week. Get the locations for all the safe houses and begin to check them one-by-one. We will find Potter and his whore, and we will kill them. In the meantime, proceed with our statement to the muggles. I want blood to flow."

"Yes, m'lord."

"Oh, and Rookwood?"

"Yes, Lord?"

"Have Narcissa come in. I have a need to work off some tensions."

"Yes, Lord."

Rookwood had no way of knowing that Voldemort did not work off his tension in a sexual means—he sacrificed those urges, desires and even ability when he gave up his mortality. But though the bloodlust had faded, it was still there.

He wanted to hear someone scream, and the widow of Malfoy looked enough like her sister to remind him of Bella, though her screams were not as sweet since Narcissa never learned to love the pain as Bella had.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The Right Honorable Anthony Peter Arbuckle, MP, was sweating profusely when he stood in the security line at the St. Stephen's Entrance of the Palace of Westminster. The security at the palace was subtle but intense; however they could find no evidence of anything remiss when he passed through. He was the last of the fourteen members of that day's Select Defence Committee's meeting to arrive.

The committee was currently making an inquiry regarding a new contract the Defence Department wanted to make with the Americans for a joint use armored transport or some such. There was a small group of visitors watching the committee meeting—mostly those directly interested in the contract's successful enactment.

Arbuckle stepped into the room with a nod to his thirteen other fellows from both houses and made his way to his seat. The chair called the meeting into session, and a general from Defence began droning on about how the transport would help should the United Kingdom find itself in the Middle East again (being only a few years removed from President Bush's successful rallying cry to liberate Kuwait).

It was obvious to everyone in the committee that Arbuckle was not paying the slightest attention to the testimony or to the pointed questions from a fellow from the Commons who had a political bone to pick with the company trying to secure the contract. Instead, he sat and stared into space with a pale complexion, sweating profusely.

Those close to him noticed his eyes seemed to have a halo of gray around his irises, though they had no idea what that meant and so assumed he was simply ill.

After nearly an hour, the general and the spokesman for the American company finished their testimony and the chair called for questions or comments.

Arbuckle actually paled further, until he was the color of bone, and said, "I have a comment, Madame Chair."

At her gracious nod, he stood up and looked over the crowd. "My family died this morning. I was forced to cut my wife's throat after slaughtering my children. And I bring death to you all right now. Bring Harry Potter to the Dark Lord, or Britain will burn."

With that terrifying statement, the Right Honorable Anthony Peter Arbuckle threw his head back and screamed as the many potions he'd been forced to imbibe that morning were triggered by the release of his Imperius'd message, and he exploded.

The blast was sufficiently powerful to instantly kill all the committee members, the general and company representatives who testified, the two security officers who had sprung into motion when he started speaking, and the first two rows of seats. It blew out all the windows along the back wall and even brought down a portion of the ceiling.

That evening, while Shacklebolt, Black and Arthur Weasley were called to the Prime Minister's office for a very long and painful conversation, a man in an Unspeakable's cloak arrived through the floo into the atrium of the Ministry of Magic just minutes before the main office hours ended.

He stopped at the security desk and handed over a wand. The front guard weighed it as protocol required and the wand came back as that of a current, approved Unspeakable. He did not bother to speak to the faceless figure, since he knew from experience he would get no answer. The only unusual thing about the whole thing was the fact that the Unspeakable came from the floo of the main atrium rather directly into the DoM's secured floo network.

Still, the guard did his duty and waived the Unspeakable through.

The Unspeakable moved silently through the bustling crowds of departing Ministry workers. Most of the workers had pale faces set in expressions of concern. The news of the Muggle bombing had permeated every inch of the Ministry, just as news was being broadcast around the world. They knew that the bombing was a direct threat not just to the magical and muggle governments, but to the Statutes of Secrecy. If the International Confederation of Wizards determined the Ministry could not maintain the statutes, then the ICW would step in directly.

That would be more than disastrous. The Portuguese Ministry ceased to exist in 1960 when every member of it was found guilty of violating the statutes. A good portion of the population of Portugal was subjected to mass obliviations, all because a ministry worker used magic to save his muggle-born wife's mother in from a trolley in public.

So concerned were they with the state of affairs, none bothered to notice the Unspeakable as he went not to the Department of Mysteries, but instead to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

The hitwizard on duty looked up in surprise when the Unspeakable entered. "What can I do for you, Unspeakable?" The term was not derogatory, but practical. No one ever knew the gender of an Unspeakable since the cowl not only hid faces, but also disguised voices.

"I have an urgent message for Auror Captain Gawain Robards."

"Right. One moment."

The hitwizard tapped a charmed stone and moments later, the auror captain himself stepped out from the back hallway of officers, through the small maze of desks, until he stood behind the front desk. "I'm Gawain Robards, what can I do for you?"

"I have vital information I must share with you in private."

"Very well."

Robards nodded for the hitwizard to unlock the wards so the Unspeakable could move past the front counter. Rather than lead the way, Robards motioned for the Unspeakable to go first. "Mine is the third office on the left."

With no choice, the Unspeakable led the way to the indicated office and stepped inside. "Just to be safe, my friend, please place your wand on my desk," Robards said when both were inside.

The Unspeakable did just that, placing the checked wand on the desk. Only then did Robards nod and step around to sit. He kept his own wand up and pointed in the Unspeakable's general direction. "Very well, what can I do for you?"

The Unspeakable reached up and slowly pulled back his cowl to reveal the face of Algie Croaker. "We don't have time for these games, Robards. Voldemort knows where Potter is hiding."

Robards' wand dropped. "What?"

In the time between the processing of the words in Robards' brain and the lowering of his wand, the figure wearing the Head Unspeakable's face had already lashed out with a wand hidden in the voluminous right sleeve of his robes.

Robards, experienced auror that he was, recognized the threat as soon as he shouted his inquiry, but even as he tried raising a shield he knew it was too late, and had barely time to grunt before the red stunner slammed into him and tossed him from his seat.

The captain woke secured to his chair by conjured robes. He was also aware of a bitter taste on the back of his tongue. Veritaserum. The man before him was no longer Algie Croaker. In fact, Robard's recognized him quite well as being an escapee of Azkaban. "Augustus Rookwood!"

"Good evening, Gawain," Rookwood said with an oddly friendly tone that was completely out of place coming from a man with eyes as dead as his. "I know that certain secret keepers are trained to control their responses under truth potions. That is why I will understand if your answers do not entirely make sense. However, veritaserum works partially by weakening the will of the wizard. So in this state of mind, you should be very cooperative. _Imperio!_ Give me the locations of every Ministry safe house."

Rookwood allowed his dictaquill to take notes as he drained the auror of every bit of useful information he had.

"Very good," Rookwood finally said. "Tonight, you are to kill your family. Tomorrow morning, you are going to kill Sirius Black. If Sirius Black does not report to the ministry, then you will kill Kingsly Shacklebolt. If opportunity presents, and you are able to kill both, do so. You will do so by drinking a series of potions that I provide you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Robards said in a lifeless tone.

"Excellent. Thank you for your assistance. Speak to no one about this. If you believe you are discovered, then you are to trigger the explosives at the best time to kill as many targets as possible."

With that, Rookwood gave the captain the same potions that killed Arbuckle and pulled his charmed cowl back on his head, knowing it would cast an glamour on his features to make him appear as the head unspeakable for five minutes before fading. He walked out of the DMLE with the same ease he had entering, and no one thought twice about it.


	45. Trick or Treat

**Author's Note**: My apologies for the Moody mistake in Chap 44. It has since been corrected. I comment on it further in the Chap 44 review responses posted in my Bonds of Blood Review Responses. There are also a couple of spoilers there for those who want to see them.

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**Chapter Forty-Five: Trick or Treat**

_I hate Halloween_.

It was Harry's first thought upon waking. Ginny rolled over in his arm, nuzzling his neck. _You just need some good memories to offset the bad ones_. She moved from his neck to his ear, making him shiver in delight.

He licked his lips. "Maybe."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

"Sirius, wake up you silly dog," Rosie said. "You're going to be late!"

Sirius came awake with a snort-like cough and then moaned. "Sleepy."

"And why wouldn't you be? You were up talking to the muggles into well after the witching hour."

Sirius groaned, not wanting to be reminded of the very difficult conversation he, Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley had with the Muggle Prime Minister. The bombing of Parliament members was the biggest blow Voldemort had struck; and the muggles were rightfully viewing it as a direct assault on their government.

It was difficult to tell them it was just a warning for them to stay out of what was essentially a wizarding civil war. With those thoughts effectively destroying any vestiges of sleep, Sirius sat up in bed to see Rosie giving him a mock glare with her hands on her hips. She was already starting to show, and the thought of the child they were making together filled him with a quiet joy. He rolled out of bed and leaned forward until he kissed her stomach through the acromantula silk dressing gown.

He felt her hands on her head and looked up to grin at her. "Everything's going to be okay," he said.

"Aye, lad o' mine, it will. So long as you're with us."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Gawain Robards woke up feeling sick. He rolled out of bed and lost the contents of his stomach. Even after, he continued retching bile until his throat burned. It wasn't until he finished and moved to his sink to wash his face that he noticed blood on his hand. He stared at them in confusion for a moment before looking into the room.

The white sheets of his bed were red. In the far side of the depression where he slept was a prone, unmoving figure. He stumbled further into the room, at once terrified and yet sure of what he would see.

His wife Katarine lay staring at the opposite wall with open, white-filmed eyes. Her neck was bruised where the knife had slit her throat. She wore her favorite nightgown—the one Gawain bought her for her last birthday.

The knife that killed her was sitting on her nightstand, next to her wand. It was his knife—a gift from her for his last birthday with his initials monogrammed into its hilt. He began to shake, but did not cry out. The voice in his mind told him that he could not cry out; could not make any outward sign that he did this horrid crime. He fought and raged against the voice, but it overwhelmed his will and drew him back into the calm, peaceful feeling of contentment. It was the same feeling he had last night when he calmly reached over and slit the throat of his wife of twenty years.

He walked stiffly out of the room, pausing at the door to their only daughter's bedroom. The room was empty, of course, since she was at Hogwarts. A seventh year. He wept then, because the voice said nothing about crying in relief.

He went back to his bathroom, washed, and dressed for the day. He had places to go and people to kill.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Harry and Ginny emerged from their room in the safe house with James in Harry's arms. Whatever Harry's feelings were for the day, James woke up in a happy mood. At least after he was fed. They moved down the stairs where Molly Weasley was making breakfast for that day's trainers. Jameson Patil was there, as was Tonks and Remus Lupin. In addition they had a man named Jeffers from the Department of Mysteries.

As good as Patil was, Jeffers was such a good dueler it was frightening. He made even Moody look like a beginner.

"You two ready?" Tonks said with a smile when they came down. "Get some breakfast and then we'll get started. We're going to be working on uneven situations today."

"Uneven?" Harry asked.

"All of us against you," Parvati's brother said with a grin.

"Come here, James!" Molly called, already in grandmother mode without a thought for the discussions going on around the table. Harry handed his son over to his mother in law with a grateful smile as Ginny sat to start eating.

The safe house was in Cornwall, and had an enlarged and magically shielded basement that made it perfect for intense training. Harry and Ginny walked down the narrow stairs to that basement and braced themselves for the coming training. Every day was the same—intense physical training and dueling practice for at least six hours a day. In between bouts of dueling they had awareness exercises and instruction on accurate spell casting and shielding.

It turned out most wizards had perhaps a dozen spells they performed regularly, even aurors. "The trick," Jeffers said, "is to find spells your good at, and use them. It doesn't matter if you hit someone with a blasting curse or a disemboweling hex, just hit them. If you miss your target, you've expended magical energy while they have conserved theirs. In long fights, that can make a difference."

"So we shouldn't cast unless we're sure we can hit them?" Harry asked.

"No, you should just hit them. Don't hesitate, don't hold your fire. In a life-and-death fight, you can't afford to cherry-pick your targets. Fire. Even if you don't hit your target, not firing gives them time to fire at you. What I'm trying to teach you is to just not miss."

Thus their training began for the day. Upstairs on the ground floor, Molly sat her grandson down on the rug of the sitting room before the fireplace, playing peek-a-boo. James was three months old now and was already able to roll over and hold his head up, if just barely. He looked around with that wide-eyed, astonished expression only young babies had.

She found herself staring back with the same wide-eyed expression, as astounded by this miracle of a child as he seemed to be by the world. The first time she held him was the first time when she looked upon the bonding of her Ginny with Harry not as a curse, but as a blessing. For only a blessing from magic itself could give them such a joy as James Orion Potter.

She picked the baby up and rolled onto her back, lifting him high and then lowering him to her face while she made baby sounds. He let out a squeal of delight every time she did so, feeding her own joy in the play.

The moment came to an abrupt end. The air suddenly split before an ear-shattering crack of what sounded like thunder as the wards failed. James jerked in her hands with fright and immediately started crying. A moment later, the front wall exploded inward. Molly rolled herself over to her knees and raised a magical shield instinctively, even while she clutched the screaming James in her arms. When the dust from the explosion cleared she could see a line of Death Eaters outside.

"No," she whispered. "No, no, no, no!" She pushed herself to her feet and started running toward the fireplace, all but forgetting the team of capable fighters in the basement in her panic, but when she threw in the powder, nothing happened. The floo network was down. The house shook with another explosion and she looked over her shoulder just in time to see the entire ceiling come down over the stairwell leading to the basement, cutting that passage off the moment she realized she could have found some shelter there. She thought she heard Ginny screaming to her, but the sound was cut off as the passageway was buried under the debris. Harry, Ginny and the others were blocked off.

Tears streamed down her face when she looked back and saw the Death Eaters were closer now; just a few feet from the hole in the house. She held the baby to her chest and backed away, trying and failing to apparate. She turned and, in desperation, blasted out a portion of the back wall out in an effort to outrun the anti-apparation wards.

She took two steps into the back garden of the house before she came to a halt and gasped for breath.

Voldemort himself stood in the middle of the back garden looking at her with a death-head grin. Ten Death Eaters stood in a line behind him. "Hello, Molly Weasley," the Dark Lord said in a polite tone that was more terrifying than any shouted threat. "I've so wanted to meet the mother-in-law of Harry Potter. I remember Gideon and Fabien. They made such delicious screams when Fenrir and his pack ate them."

Tears ran down her face as Molly clutched the wailing baby. "I won't let you take him," she whispered. "I won't."

"Oh? _Imperio! _ Give me the child."

Molly took one hesitant step, but then shook her head violently. "No," she said through her tears. At any other time, she would have buckled under the Imperius curse. But not with this precious baby in her hands. "I'll never let you take any more of my family away!"

"Do you think you could stop me, Molly Weasley?" He raised his arms to either side, as if in benediction. "Then do so now. Strike me down, Molly Weasely. Now is your chance. Strike me down while you…"

"_Avada kedavra!" _Molly screamed. The killing curse caught all the Death Eaters by surprise, Voldemort included. The dark lord danced out of the way of the spell only to see it hit one of his ten men, who fell dead instantly to the floor.

Voldemort looked back at the wide-eyed, terrified grandmother. "Well done!" he congratulated her. "I did not believe any of Dumbledore's followers had it within them. But good followers are so hard to find; I'm afraid I can't let you try that again."

"Go to hell you murdering bastard!" Molly screeched. She cast another killing curse, but this time Voldemort was ready for her. A summoned stone intercepted the curse and exploded almost in Molly's face. She screamed in pain as bits of the stone struck her. She spun around to shield James from the debris as much as possible, and by turning her back on the Dark Lord to protect her grandson, she gave up her life.

Two killing curses struck her back at the same time. As she fell, accompanied by the terrified wails of the baby, the Death Eaters could hear thumps from the wreckage of the house. The thumps grew louder and louder until the debris suddenly disappeared in a billow of flame. Suddenly Harry and Ginny Potter emerged, dirty and stained from the first attack, but with wands ready.

Voldemort silently summoned the child, who came to him with a scream.

"James!" Ginny cried.

"A soul for a soul, Potter!" Voldemort called out in fierce joy before he disappeared.

Ginny and Harry's blasting curses hit his Death Eaters a split second after the dark wizard disappeared. The two cursed followers exploded with the concussive force of grenades, blowing their comrades off their feet. The two who disapparated splinched themselves badly, leaving whole legs behind. Harry and Ginny both cast again, finishing off the survivors without a thought.

Only when the Death Eaters were gone did Ginny turn and see her mother. She did not cry out; rather she made a strangled, breathless moan of despair as she ran to her mother's side. Harry couldn't even move. He simply stood and stared stupidly at the woman he handed his son to only an hour before.

Patil, Tonks and Jeffers finally made it into the garden. "Oh Merlin," Tonks whispered.

Patil, though, turned to Jeffers. "The safe houses have been compromised. Get to the Ministry and find out who did it. Black, Shacklebolt and Robards were the secret keepers."

"I'm going." With the temporary wards gone, the Unspeakable disappeared with an agitated pop.

Patil turned back to Harry. "He's not dead, Harry," Patil said. "Voldemort wanted him for something."

He started shaking. "He has my son, Jameson."

Patil put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "And if there is any way in hell, we're going to get him back. Listen to those voices. They'll tell you—for your son's sake take that fear, anger and grief and use it. It should make you angry, Harry. Use that anger. Use it to make you strong until you get your boy back."

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Sirius appeared in the Ministry atrium in a burst of green fire. The crowds of Ministry employees were subdued that morning. Somehow the rumor mill had already worked overtime, and Sirius realized people were staring at him with hopeful expressions.

"The Minister will issue a communication later today," he told them all. "Go back to work in the meantime.'

He didn't fault them; not really. To a certain extent, he felt the same way. Amelia Bones was such a clear, decisive leader that her vision shaped the entire Ministry. When she entered a department, workers sat a little straighter and worked just a little harder. Not because they were afraid of being caught idle, but because they wanted her to be proud of them.

She had that affect on a lot of people.

Her death still felt like a physical blow to Sirius, even weeks later. He was now the head of the DMLE, a position Amelia herself held not even a year ago. Yet where she knew precisely what she was doing, he felt lost and confused all the time. Every decision was difficult, and every crisis seemed like the end of the world. Still somehow, at the end of the day, he survived it and went home to his Rosie. If not for her, he doubted he could make it.

He walked into the DMLE now and nodded to the hitwizard on duty. "Is Gawain in?"

"Yes, sir. Looked a bit peaked he did, though. Rough night I suppose."

"He wasn't the only one," Sirius muttered.

The hitwizard looked concerned, and again Sirius sympathized. "No ICW for now," Sirius said, taking pity on the man. "The muggles agreed to call this a terrorist strike in retaliation for something the muggles are doing in the Middle East. We had to bend over and kiss our own asses and use the fact the Muggle PM actually liked Amelia, but we got through it."

"Thanks for letting me know, sir," the young hitwizard said with obvious relief.

Sirius nodded and stepped through the wards protecting the front desk, through the maze of desks in the front processing area, and into the offices in the back. He stopped at the third door on the left and stuck his head in.

Gawain Robards looked awful. "Merlin's left nut, man, what were you doing last night?"

"Wife had an accident, didn't sleep well for it," Robards said. "Is the Minister going to be in today?"

"A little later. It was a late night."

"Good. I need a minute of his time. You should probably be there as well."

"Anything I should know about?"

"I think the ruse in Hogwarts may have run its course."

Sirius sighed and leaned against the door frame. "I was afraid of that. The Ginny impersonator had a batch of bad polyjuice and started to shift in the middle of a class. We got the situation fixed, but it was a joint Gryffindor and Slytherin class."

Gawain nodded. "Think he'll be in by ten?"

"I think so. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, Sirius."

Sirius nodded and walked away, thinking how odd it was for the head auror to use his first name like a friend. Robards was most certainly not Sirius's friend, not with the last son of the Black Family skipping over him to land the Department head position.

Once he reached his office he sat down to a pile of paperwork. This was the hardest adjustment for him—paperwork. When he was a new auror before Azkaban, he had maybe one or two forms to fill out each day. Those one or two forms now consisted of whole reams of parchment for the department head.

He was seriously considering hiring a secretary to help him iron out his paperwork when his controlled floo flashed green. "Sirius, this is Jeffers. The safe house has been attacked!"

The only reason Sirius did not scream was because of shock. "Is Harry…."

"Harry and Ginny are alive. Molly Weasley is dead, and Voldemort took their son. They managed to take out nine Death Eaters by themselves, but they're in a bad way. Patil says there were only three secret keepers."

The shock started to crack. Voldemort had his godson's child. He rose from the desk. "Get Harry and Ginny to Grimmauld Place. I'll tell Arthur. Protect them, Jeffers."

"From themselves, at the least," Jeffers said before his face disappeared.

Sirius slowly stood, clutching his wand as he did so. He stepped back into the hall and noted that more and more of his staff was arriving as the official workday approached. He walked back up the hall until he stood just outside Robard's office.

Two of his aurors were starting down the hall toward their own desks and noticed the head of the DMLE standing outside their captain's office with his wand at the ready. Sirius held up his hand for them to stop and then placed a finger to his lips. Employing a skill he almost forgot in Azkaban, he made hand signals to indicate a possible threat.

The two aurors visibly tensed. They nodded, and one of them turned and began to quietly evacuate the staff who had arrived, while ordering more aurors to attend to Sirius in the hall. When he had five aurors gathered and ready, Sirius held up his hand to signal for stunners only and then slowly counted down his fingers.

Five, four, three, two, one…he jumped into the room of Gawain Robards and shot off a silent stunner. Somehow, Robards was ready and summoned a shield. Sirius rolled to the left in the cramped office while another auror tried to gain entry into the room. Robards hit the man with a cutting curse to his neck while dodging another stunner from Sirius.

There were no shouted questions or demands to know what happened. There was no time. The fight was short, dirty and completely silent.

Sirius banished the man's desk at him while at the same time summoning his cork board. Robards dodged the desk, fired off a blasting curse, and then grunted in anger when the corkboard broke across the back of his neck.

This gave another of the aurors a chance to step into the room and fire a stunner, forcing the head auror to dodge right into Sirius's own stunner.

The man dropped in silence.

Sirius took a deep, shaky breath. "How's Stine?"

"Bleeding's under control, sir," another auror reported. "We've got him moving to the infirmary now."

"Good. Bind Robards and put him in a cell. Make sure it has magic suppressors and a suicide watch."

"Sir?"

"Imperius. I should have seen it when I talked to him this morning. Malkins, send someone to his house. I think he was trying to tell me about his wife. If I'm right, Magic preserve him. We'll talk to him later. Right now there's someone I need to see."

Sirius left the department and walked past the crowd of concerned DMLE employees, almost running as he reached the sub-department that handled muggle protection. The secretary looked up with a smile, which faded quickly when she saw Sirius's expression. "Sir?"

"Is Arthur in?"

"He's in a meeting, and he has three more today."

"Cancel them. Clear his schedule for the week."

"Sir?"

Sirius realized with a start he was crying. He didn't even feel it until his eyes became blurry. "Just clear his schedule please," he said. He stepped past the now worried secretary until he arrived at the area's conference room.

Arthur sat at the end of a table with his five employees, discussing the increase in muggle objects that had been cursed. He looked up in surprise to see his immediate supervisor enter. "Sirius! What can I…"

"Arthur, I need to talk to you alone. Please come."

Arthur looked startled, and then noticed the moisture in his friend's eyes. "Very well. Gentlemen, I'll be back shortly."

He stood from the table. When he stepped out, Sirius paused at the door and looked back at Arthur's men. "He won't be back. Anticipate at least one to two weeks of leave. Hastings, you'll be in charge until Arthur returns."

He then followed the flabbergasted Arthur Weasley until they reached his office. "Now see here, Sirius, I know that…"

"Molly's gone, Arthur," Sirius blurted out.

"…you're the department head but… Come again?"

"Robards was under the Imperius. We just took him into custody. Voldemort found out where they were. She…she must have died defending James. She's gone, Arthur."

Arthur Weasley paled to the color of bone, and then sat down right where he stood on the floor. His legs simply folded under him and he sat, staring blankly into the wall. "I spoke to her just this morning." He looked up, realizing suddenly hitting. "Sirius, the baby!"

"Voldemort has him," Sirius admitted with a sob. "We need to go now. I had Patil and Jeffers take them to Grimmauld Place. You need to be there, Arthur. I'll make sure your family is notified and then I'll join you."

"What will I do without my Molly, though?" Arthur asked, an expression of utter hopelessness on his face.

Sirius sobbed again when he realized he had no answer for his friend. He knelt down to give his friend a hug when the whole world exploded around them.


	46. The Walls Come Down

Review Responses and comments are posted in my forums.

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**Chapter Forty-Six: The Walls Come Down**

Rosemerta Black looked up from her tea when the fireplace burst in a billow of green fire. Instead of Sirius, though, the dirty, ragged figures of Harry and Ginny Potter appeared, followed moments later by Tonks and Remus.

"What happened?" she asked.

Harry looked at her with a dead expression that brought tears to Rosie's eyes, though he didn't say a word. It was Ginny who spoke. "They killed Mum," she whispered. "They killed my Mum and took James. They took James!" The last ended in a wail as she collapsed to the floor again.

What worried Rosie most was that Harry did not try to comfort her. He simply stood staring, so hurt and in shock he could not even help himself, much less his wife. Tonks knelt down and helped the distraught young mother to a nearby chair while Remus guided a shocked and unresponsive Harry to a couch.

Ginny wept inconsolably while Tonks just rocked her. Harry, meanwhile, stared into space with a dead, broken expression that was in many ways worse. Rosie knew what was happening—Ginny, raised in a large, loving family knew how to grieve. Harry didn't. He never learned how to deal with loss because he never before had anything precious to lose. He could handle physical pain better than any child should, but this… Rosie could not keep the tears from her eyes as she sat down next to her godson, opposite Remus, and simply held the boy.

Ginny's sobs had eased into silent tears when, forty minutes later, Arthur Weasley spilled out of the floo with a clearly unconscious Sirius Black in his arms. "Sirius!" Rosemerta screamed. She jumped to her feet and rushed around the console table.

Arthur collapsed to his knees and let the DMLE head slid down his legs to the floor where Rosie knelt and cradled him.

"Merlin's bones, Arthur, what happened?" Remus asked.

Arthur's bleary eyes sought out the disconsolate figures of Harry and Ginny. "The Ministry is gone," he said. "Explosions. Blasting potions fed off of the magic of imperius'd workers. Percy…Percy exploded the moment he saw Kingsley. I saw it as I was trying to get Sirius out. The Minister's dead, most of the other department heads are too. I managed to get Sirius to the atrium when the Death Eaters came pouring in. There were at least two hundred of them, maybe more. I grabbed Sirius and floo'd here, but I'm not sure how long it'll be safe. And Molly is gone and I…" He couldn't speak any more.

His eyes squeezed shut as great, terrible sobs rocked his body. "Daddy?" Ginny said, sobbing herself again. She stood, pulled away from Tonks and sank down into his arms, crying anew. Rosie cradled Sirius's head in her hands and felt his strong pulse. She could feel a good-sized lump on his skull from the blow that knocked him out, but she did not feel any blood.

He came to in just moments, moaning. "Angel?" he asked, looking up at his pregnant wife.

"Aye, love. I'm here."

"Where are we?"

"I got you to Grimmauld place, Sirius," Arthur said.

Sirius sat up, moaning again. "What the bloody 'ell happened in there?"

"Blasting potions, just like at Westminster." Arthur explained in greater detail what happened, and who he saw for a fact die under the blasts.

Sirius listened with a darkening expression. When the story was done, Sirius forced himself to his feet. "Arthur, you realize that you and I are the senior most department heads left?"

Arthur nodded tiredly. "It's just a matter of time before Voldemort sticks a puppet in as Minister. They first thing they're going to do is hunt us down."

"Not if we organize."

For the first time, Harry spoke. "What about Hermione?"

The others in the room turned and looked at him. "Hermione and Ron and the rest at Hogwarts. Who's going to protect them? What will they do?"

"Oh Merlin," Remus said.

"Dobby!" Sirius shouted.

The hyper elf appeared, pulling his ears in dismay. "Yes, masters?"

"Dobby, go to the safe house where Harry and Ginny were hiding and fetch their trunks. Go, quick now!"

Dobby disappeared with a snap, only to reappear moments later with two trunks each four times his size. Sirius began digging in the nearest and emerged with the Marauder's Map. He tossed it to his oldest living friend. "Remus, you game?"

"Yes," the werewolf agreed as he deftly caught the map. "Tonks, you coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it!" she said. "What's the plan?"

"For now, get the at-risk kids to safety," Sirius said. "I'll see if we can bring in any support."

"Agreed," Remus said. He and Tonks turned to Harry and the rest. "Stay here for now, we'll be back soon," the werewolf said. Moments later the two disappeared into the floo.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Since both were keyed in as senior members of the Order of the Phoenix, Remus and Tonks blasted out of the floo directly into the headmaster's office. They stood, dusted powder off each other, and saw the room was unoccupied save for the paintings which demanded to know what they were doing.

They ignored the paintings and left the office at a full run. Tonks was not wearing her auror robes since she was training with Harry and Ginny that morning. Remus wore his old tattered slacks and jacket with the frayed shirt. "What time is it?" he asked.

Tonks checked her muggle mechanical watch. "Just past noon. They should all be in the Great Hall by now."

The doors to the Great Hall were open and the students sat within, eating lunch as if nothing at all were the matter. "You know the kids better than I do," Tonks said. "I'll talk to the staff."

Whispers immediately began as the two entered. Tonks walked to the head table, while Lupin moved quickly to the Gryffindor table. He spotted Hermione and Ron among other of Potter's friends, which surprisingly included the Hufflepuff head boy, Diggory.

Perfect.

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione asked, being the first to notice him. "What are you doing here?"

Lupin hushed her and then looked at the small group for a moment, amazed at what good friends Harry had. "Imagine the worst case scenario," he said with quiet urgency. "And then multiply it by ten, and you'll have an idea of what happened this morning. We don't have much time. Mr. Diggory, I need you and the other trust-worthy prefects to gather every muggleborn student, and any other student whose family might be targeted by You Know Who and get them to the antechamber by the First Year's entrance. This is vital, Cedric. We don't have time to spare."

By now, every student within hearing had paled. "Sir," Cedric said, "my father, the Ministry…"

"I'm so sorry, Cedric. More than you can know. From what Arthur told me, he and Sirius are the only Department Heads to survive. Everyone else…"

"Oh God!" Hermione gasped. "What about…?"

"We don't have time!" Remus urged. "Get your friends and the muggleborns, that's our first priority. Move, now!"

With that, Cedric led the way as the circle of Potter's friends spread out through the hall, gathering muggleborns and other marked children. Meanwhile, at the head table, Minerva rose from her seat. "Auror Tonks, what is the meaning of this?"

Tonks was surprised and even a little proud of how calm and quiet she kept her voice. "Professor, this morning Minister Shacklebolt and most Department Heads were assassinated and the majority of the DMLE murdered in a series of explosions. Enemy forces stormed the Ministry. It's falling down, Minerva. Everything is falling down. We've got to get the muggleborns and blood traitors to safety. Sirius sent us."

Minerva McGonagall, who had half-risen, now sank back into her seat. "Great Circe's wine!" she whispered. "How?"

"I'm not sure. They…they found Harry and Ginny, Professor. You-Know-Who murdered Molly and took James. The kids are safe for now, but we don't know how long that will last. We don't have the forces necessary to protect the school."

By this time the hall had erupted in shouts and calls for information as Potter's circle of friends spread out and culled students of every year from every house except Slytherin. The Slytherins in fact were the only students that made no outward show of confusion or concern. It didn't take a genius to know that the House of the Snakes knew what was happening.

By then, Remus had joined them. "Minerva, Filius, Pomona," he said to the three nearest staff members. "Things are dire. We'll try to set up organized resistance, but right now we don't have the people to defend the school against what will almost certainly be an overwhelming attack. For the sake of the other students, you and the rest of the staff need to stay and most importantly, do not fight!"

Filius Flitwick snorted. "I've been fighting since…"

"Filius," Remus said, "if you fight, Voldemort will punish you by murdering your 'Claws. That's why we can't afford to fight. Tonks and I are here to get the kids most at risk to safety. After that, you need to lay low and protect the rest as best you can."

A series of angry shouts and screams interrupted the conversation. Tonks and Remus turned to see Severus Snape walk into the hall gripping Hermione's arm with a wand pointed to her terrified face. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Ministry Business," Tonks said with as much authority as she could muster. "Release that student and stand aside."

"Or what, Nymphadora?" Snape sneered. "Did you not hear the news? You are no longer an auror, you are a wanted criminal. Newly appointed Minister Pius Thicknesse has declared you and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix wanted criminals to be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss on sight."

The hall became instantly silent.

"Well, that's a problem then, isn't it, Severus?" Remus said. "Since we all know Thicknesse is nothing more than Voldemort's puppet."

As the full import of what was happening sank in, cries of shock and alarm spread around the room. "Lay down your wand, werewolf," Snape all but snarled.

"Lay down yours, Death Eater," Tonks snapped back.

"Not bloody likely. Do you think you can take me? Either of you?"

"Maybe not either, but definitely both," Remus said. He flashed his wand in a silent stunner while Tonks fired off a blasting curse.

Hermione meanwhile flew out of Snape's grip with a surprised yelp as Ron summoned her into his arms. While the potions professor engaged the two Order members, Cedric saw the Slytherins rising in mass to defend their professor and knew the time to act was now. He cast a silent disarming hex that caught Snape in the back. The crook-nosed man spun around in rage, only to drop in his shoes as Tonks and Remus both hit him with stunners.

"We're not going to have a civil war in the school," Remus said. They ran out to join the rest of the at-risk students, turned and pulled the doors shut. Remus then began casting a series of temporary wards to keep the doors locked. "That should hold them for a while!"

"How bad is it?" Cedric said when they had a moment.

"As bad as it can get," Tonks said. She looked at the hundred or so terrified students, who ranged from eleven-year-olds to seventh years. "Listen up. The Ministry of Magic fell to You Know Who this morning. Sirius Black is now the senior most living department head. Pius Thicknesse is a plant. The man couldn't resist the _imperius curse_ for more than a second. Either he's a Death Eater himself, or he's controlled by one. We came because Harry was afraid you were at risk."

"Harry?" Hermione asked. She was clucking her arm where Snape gripped her even as she leaned into Ron. "How are they?"

Remus joined Tonks. "They were attacked just minutes before the Ministry," he said. He looked at Ron, and behind him his older twin brothers. "Boys, I'm so very sorry. Molly died this morning trying to save James. Voldemort…took the baby."

Hermione gasped and tears sprang to her eyes as she covered her mouth in shock. Ron and his brother swayed as if they had been struck by physical blows.

"Look, all of you," Remus said. "Tonks and I are going to stay with you as long as we can, but we have to stay safe. All of you are in danger because you're either muggleborns, or your families are marked. We have to find a safe place for you."

"What about the Room of Requirement?" Tonks blinked and found herself staring into two wide silver eyes. The Lovegood girl stood so close to Cedric she was touching him. "Harry and Ginny found out about it from the Elves. It's where they caught Lestrange trying to take the diadem."

"Do you know how to get there?" Tonks asked.

"Seventh floor, by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy," Neville said, since he too knew the story.

The terrified students ran through the halls of the ancient castle until they reached the floor in question. Neville walked up and down the hall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy until a door opened. "When Harry told me about it, I asked the elves and they showed me how to get in," Neville said.

They entered a room lined with curtained off beds and tables. "What is this?" Hermione asked.

"It's whatever we need," Luna explained. "The magic of the room makes whatever you need. I wished for a place where we could all hide. And here it is."

"Brilliant, both of you!" Remus said. "Absolutely brilliant."

Neville flushed at the praise while Luna just blinked absently. "How long are we going to have to wait here?" Cedric asked.

"I don't know, Ced," Tonks admitted. "I just knew we had to get here fast before Voldemort's people. Now that I'm here, I'm not sure what we can do."

"We can fight," Ron said.

"You're just kids," Tonks snorted.

"We're kids with wands and magic," Cedric snapped back. "And you're not that much older than me, Dora. If nothing else, we need to get the upper years organized to at least defend the younger years."

"And," Luna Lovegood said out of the blue, "it will give us something to do to distract the nargles. They're everywhere, you see."

Tonks opened her mouth to protest when she felt Remus's hand on her shoulder. The professor was evaluating the students in the room with a cool, calm expression that belayed what she knew was his terror at their circumstances. "Dora, they're right. If nothing else, they need to be able to defend themselves and the younger years. I'll handle the younger years, you can train the upper years. Basic self defense hexes, jinxes and shielding spells. At the least, it will make the days bearable to have something to do."

"Exactly!" Cedric said. "If we just stand around for who knows how long staring at each other, we'll all go barmy."

"Fine," Tonks muttered. "We'll make our own little army."

"In memory of Albus," Remus said with a smile. "After all, it is still his school."

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

On the night the Ministry of Magic died, a young baby screamed. Parents the world over can tell much from a child's scream. Most could tell after just a second whether a scream was of anger, exhaustion, hunger, fright or pain. Whether through experience, or biological wiring, parents simply knew.

Narcissa Malfoy, as a mother, knew the screaming she heard coming from the Ritual Room was one of an agony most babies did not survive. She knelt down along with the surviving Inner Circle of the Dark Lord. The room was somber, and yet the air of excitement hung over them all. The Ministry was theirs! Pius Thicknesse was already installed as the new minister, and was firmly under the Dark Lord's personal Imperius curse.

She did not understand exactly what Voldemort was doing; did not even dare ask. She would have thought he would immediately take Hogwarts, but instead, after the Ministry was secure, he returned here. He was so determined to have the Potter brat that none dared question his motives. His actions were his own to take; his will his own to exercise.

And so she and the rest of the surviving Inner Circle waited on their knees outside the ritual chamber, while inside Audrey Kinkinnon, the fiancée of the late Percy Weasley, and James Orion Potter, both continued to scream.

Both screams cut off abruptly as the air around them trembled with the darkest, most black magic Narcissa had ever felt. A moment later Voldemort stepped out of the room, resplendent in his black acromantula silk robes. He cradled the Potter babe in his arms gently, smiling with serpentine pleasure as he did so. Through the door they could see the blood-splattered walls and the emptied, eviscerated husk of the nineteen-year-old witch who would have married a blood traitor.

"And now our victory is all but complete," the Dark Lord crowed. "This day has seen the fall of the Ministry, and tomorrow will see the fall of Hogwarts. At long last, our time has come!"

Taking this as their cue, the Death Eaters cheered enthusiastically. Voldemort then turned his red eyes to Narcissa. "Rise, Narcissa."

She did so without hesitation, having felt his displeasure too often to even consider disobeying. She stood before the dark lord with her head bowed in her own house. She did not even dare make a sound as a bony, pale hand ripped her robes and exposed her chest. She did not flinch when she felt the tip of a cold wand press hard against her nipple, nor did she show her surprise when she heard the old nursemaid charm, "_Lacto lac lactis."_

Her left breast swelled and became sore as the charm activated her long-dormant milk glands. He did the same to her right breast, before handing the oddly silent baby to her.

"You have lost much in your service to me, Narcissa Malfoy," the Dark Lord said. He sounded almost…compassionate. "Your husband and your only son died so that I may live again. So I give you this gift in return—blood for blood, son for son. I give you the child of those who took your family from you, to raise as your own. Change his name to yours, make him the Malfoy heir. Care for him as you would your own. Your vengeance shall be in the son who will be raised to hate his parents and all they stand for. And he shall be my heir as well. Will you do this for me, dear Narcissa?"

Narcissa stared down at the Potter brat and noticed the boy had a lightning-bolt scar just like his father, only this one was so new it still bled. But the child did not cry at all. It stared up at her with unfocused eyes of an indeterminate color—as if they could not decide whether to be brown or green. She did not know what she felt as she held the babe to her now swollen breast. She saw that blood dripped down from the new scar and mixed in with her milk. The baby did not seem to notice as it hungrily suckled her.

"It shall be my greatest honor, my master," she said in a hollow voice.

"Yes, Narcissa, it will." He stepped back and viewed the other Inner Circle. "Narcissa Malfoy is now under my personal protection. Guard her as if you would guard me. And if any of you dare raise a hand to her, you will wish I had just killed you."

Narcissa dismissed the dark lord's words as she stared down at this dark-haired child who was so different from her own. "Yes," she whispered. "Blood for blood. A child for a child. You are mine now, Orion Malfoy. You are mine."

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

On the morning after the fall of the Ministry, a small army in black robes and silver masks appeared in Hogsmeade. The residents, those few who were out of their homes, scrambled desperately back inside. They had not recovered from the last battle and had no stomach for another. There was no battle, though. Not enough Aurors survived to field a credible threat to the Dark Lord at the moment.

And so Voldemort strode confidently at the head of his Death Eaters up the well-worn path to Hogwarts. He could not help but laugh when he found the wards open and waiting. He continued to laugh as he traversed up a path he had not used in many years until he reached the front of the school and found Severus Snape waiting for him on his knees.

"The school is yours, Master," he said.

"You're looking well, Severus."

"My magic accepted my report to Rookwood as delivering Potter to you, my Lord. I have kept my vow, and now give you Hogwarts."

Voldemort took a deep breath. "Where are the students, Severus?"

"They are in the Great Hall, master. But…"

"But?"

"Tonks and the werewolf, Master. The two of them somehow entered the castle almost immediately after the ministry fell and began gathering the muggleborns and blood traitors. I challenged them both but was stunned in the back by the Diggory boy."

"Did the staff make any effort to stop them?"

"The staff was terrified into inaction, Master. I have explained to them how it is going to be. They will obey you, or I will kill them before the entire student body. Even McGonagall has bowed to necessity."

"Who left, Severus?"

"Potter's friends, Lord. All of the mudbloods and the blood traitors—the Weasleys, Diggory, and the like."

Voldemort did not bother to hide his disgust, but surprisingly he did not curse Severus any more. "You finally picked a side, Severus."

"You taught me the error of hesitation, Lord. I never betrayed you, but in my weakness I did hesitate. Never again. I am your most humble servant."

Voldemort nodded. "And such service must be rewarded. You did after all bring me the information need to capture Potter's son, and taking Hogwarts without bloodshed will buy time from the ICW to consolidate before the next phase of my plan. Very well, Headmaster Snape. The school is yours. I shall leave Amycus, Alecto and a few others to aid you in administering discipline. I have other things to attend to."

"Thank you, Master."

When Voldemort and his Death Eaters left, the Carrows removed their masks and grinned. "Ohh, we've always wanted to have fun here," Alecto said. She turned to her lumpy, leering brother. "Ain't we?"

"Oh yes," Amycus said. "Gonna have to be real firm, aren't we now?"


	47. The Gathering of Light

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Gathering of the Light**

"…and so you see, Prime Minister, the fighting is done. The Ministry is triumphant and this will hopefully be the last time you will be bothered by such matters."

Prime Minister John Thatch leaned back in his chair and stared at the preternaturally calm man with narrowed eyes. Pius Thicknesse did not _seem_ right. There was no one thing about him that gave Thatch that impression, other than the feeling that he was speaking to a hollow man. "Very well, Minister Thicknesse. I'm glad the violence is over, and I appreciate the briefing. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

"Only that you should be aware the Ministry will be making an effort to clean up the remnant population of insurgents," Thickness said, still with that low, eerily calm voice of his. The man's face had not changed expression once during their thirty minute meeting. "We hope to keep the disruptions to a minimum, but many of the insurgents like to hide among muggles, and so there may be occasions when Ministry personnel must seek them out. Rest assured, however, that such incursions will be brief and we will seek to minimize or completely repair any damage done."

"I see. Very well, thank you, Minister. Good luck to you."

"And to you, Mr. Prime Minister," Thicknesse said. He nodded once, walked to the fireplace and then disappeared in a flash of green fire.

Thatch reached for his intercom when a loud pop alerted him to another figure standing in front of him. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw what had to be a wand pointed at his face. "Let me see your eyes, Prime Minister."

He looked up and found himself staring into the face of… "Sirius Black! What are you doing here? Minister Thicknesse just said you've led an insurgency against the Ministry of Magic! And get that stick out of my face!"

Sirius sighed with obvious relief and sank down into a chair facing the Prime Minister's desk without invitation. "Mr…John, I had to be sure he didn't have you under the _Imperius_ Curse. He himself is. The Ministry fell two days ago."

"What?"

Sirius quickly filled the PM in on just what the explosions that rattled the London Underground were, and what the status was. "I've managed to scrape together about twenty five surviving aurors who are still loyal, and we're in the process of trying to save any muggleborn ministry employees and their families who made it out. Thicknesse has created something called the 'Muggleborn Registration Commission', and from the first few who voluntarily registered, it's clear the muggleborns are being shipped off to Azkaban much like the Jews in Nazi Germany."

"So what can we do?" Thatch demanded. "Do you need soldiers? Armaments?"

"No!" Sirius said, wide-eyed. "Using muggle weapons against giants to defend a muggle town is one thing. But if it gets out that we've employed the muggle military to fight a wizard, the ICW will come down on Voldemort's side and we'll all suffer. It's a violation of our oldest laws."

"Mr. Black," Thatch said, "Her Majesty's government will not side idly by while a madman takes power of a segment of her people!"

Sirius sight tiredly. "Minister, do you remember the collapse of the Portuguese government in the 60s?"

"There were a number of suicides, I know that much."

"It was a full International Confederation of Wizards intervention to protect the Statues of Secrecy. There were no suicides, only assassinations until all traces of the violation was gone. The ICW has in the past and will in the future destabilize and even destroy governments. Look at Vietnam! While I have no doubt that in an outright war, Muggles could probably kill wizards just based on numbers alone, the truth is it only takes one skilled wizard and a wand to destabilize a government. There is a reason most nations are signatories to the ICW, Minister. It's to protect your governments as much as our people. If you intervene, you'll be dead within the week and your party will be out of power within the year."

"Then what do you want?"

"Communications. All magical communication and transportation has been cut off. I need help from our Allies, but I need to be able to talk to them first. So, really, I am here to beg of you the use of your fellytone."

Thatch stared at the moment and fought the urge to grin. "You mean telephone?"

Sirius flushed, and then laughed grimly. "Yes. My friend Arthur was sure he knew what it was called. Yes, I need to be able to speak with my counterparts in America and Australia. They're our staunchest allies in the ICW."

"Fine, Mr. Black. I'll make some calls. But when all this is over, there had better be a better attitude in the Ministry the next time I bring up the subject of taxes."

"Fair enough, Minister. Fair enough!"

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

As the sun set on a cool day five days after the fall of the Ministry, the Weasley family gathered silently around the pyre of their fallen on the edge of the Burrow. There were two pyres—the first held the prepared body of Molly Weasley, while the other held a hand-woven red pullover with a large P in front.

Around the pyres stood family. Ron and the twins were not there by necessity, but Charlie and Bill had managed to sneak in through muggle means and now joined their family. Harry and Ginny were there, both staring miserably at the pyres, while on either side stood Sirius and Rosemerta Black.

At the head of the pyres stood Arthur Weasley. "From magic we are formed," he intoned. His voice shook with the depths of his pain. "From magic our souls are wrought, formed anew at the time or our birth, to live and grew strong, until in time magic calls us home. From Magic to magic, we are born and die. I consign now my own soul mate and best friend; the mother of my children and the anchor of my life, back to the magic from whence she came. I do this knowing that, though our lives are now less full, magic itself will be made better by her presence there. And to magic I also consign the soul of my son Percy. He never knew how proud we were of him, or how much we loved him; and we never had the chance to tell him. From magic to magic, we are born and die. To magic I send now my wife and my son. Be at peace, and know that we will remember you."

Arthur stepped back, flicked his wand, and with a _whoosh_ both pyres erupted in billows of flame. After perhaps a minute, Sirius walked forward and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Arthur, we don't have time. The Burrow isn't safe."

"Yes, yes of course," Arthur said absently. "We must be moving. All right, Weasleys. Time to go. Your Mum wouldn't want us to tarry about, now would she? Beside, we have some people to pick up, don't we? Wouldn't want Hermione's parents to find themselves targeted, now would we?"

Before he could apparate away, Harry and Ginny tugged on Charlie's sleeves and motioned for him to stay. Arthur was already gone, so the next eldest Weasley son looked at Sirius, who nodded with a tight grin before disappearating.

"Okay, you two, what's going on?" Charlie asked.

"An idea we had," Harry asked.

"But we can't do it without you. We don't even know it'll work."

"All right, tell me."

The three talked for another five minutes. That is, Harry and Ginny talked, while Charlie's face flitted between astonishment, doubt, curiosity and then a deep, beaming hope. Finally done, they all disappeared with soft pops.

Seven minutes later, ten men in Ministry auror robes appeared. The men all bore Dark Marks on their forearms, but had traded black robes and silver masks for the trappings of authority. They found two collapsing pyres and a completely empty house. Even the garden lay fallow with no hint of preparation for the next planting.

~~Bonds~~

~~Bonds~~

Two weeks later, Ginny sat on the ratty bleachers lining an old gymnasium and watched as the American and Australian "observers" made their suggestions to the Shadow Ministry trainees. The observers were all dressed in light green or dun-colored khaki, and their suggestions took the form of shouted orders, but the fictions had to be maintained to avoid an international incident.

At first, Ginny did not understand why Voldemort didn't just assume direct control of Magical England. But after the first few days of the American and Australian presence, she began to see the brilliance of the dark wizard's plan. By elevating a known Ministry employee into the position, he was able to maintain the fiction of a functioning Ministry of Magic. Thicknesse was able to assure the neighboring ministries that all was well in England and that fighting was almost over. All the neighboring powers had to do was close off their magical means of travel to aid the British ministry in seeking out and destroying the "insurgents." The Americans, Australians and other ICW nations had no choice but to accede to the new Minister's wishes, and the French and German ministries were more than happy to oblige out of fear of another Grindelwald. Unofficially, several volunteers came over to just "observe" what was happening. They came through muggle means via the military, since all served in their country's militaries as well as taking roles as wizards and witches.

The deep, stabbing pain of James's abduction was still a constant, throbbing sore. The pain had lessoned, but was still difficult to bear. Even more difficult was the simmering anger she felt from Harry. It was continuous and powerful and threatened them both. Part of her wanted to yell at him to just start crying and get it out, but she knew he couldn't. He never learned how to cry, and so she had to cry for him.

The Shadow Ministry started "operations" as Black called it, yesterday. Rumors spread that the Ministry now had a bounty out on muggleborns, and that squads of Dark Wizards had formed to bring them in. The squads were called Snatchers.

The first operation of the Resistance was when Jameson Patil and three surviving aurors rescued Ted Tonks, a pair of goblins and two other muggleborn adults from the hands of snatchers trying to take them in.

Ginny wasn't sure where all their intelligence was coming from, but she did know that they had at least one or two purebloods still in the Ministry feeding them information. They also received intelligence from Hogwarts in the form of a doe-shaped patronus that would speak only to Sirius. Harry's godfather scowled darkly every time he saw it, but nonetheless dutifully reported that Voldemort's forces still had not been able to locate Ron, Hermione or the rest of the missing students at Hogwarts. Remus and Tonks were still missing too, though Ginny knew the two adults would never abandon the students.

Harry finally joined her on the bleachers that lined the gym, his face flushed with anger. "They said no again," Ginny said without having to ask.

"They don't train children," Harry all but snarled. "Bloody Yankee poofers. We have more power than all of them combined. And Sirius is too busy to worry 'bout it."

"In their minds were fifteen and fourteen."

"In real life we're sixteen and fifteen by now," Harry said.

"I don't think that makes them feel better," Ginny said. "I heard one of the Americans talking—did you know the age of maturity in the Americas is 18? Their magic schools follow the muggle schools in grading and ages. Strange, isn't it? I didn't go to school for the first time until I was eleven, but magical kids in the Americas start when they're six and go straight on through for twelve years. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but they're not learning just magic," Harry pointed out. "They don't start magic until eleven just like us. The rest is just like primary school here."

"Oh. Didn't know. Didn't go to that either."

For a moment, the pain of their son's abduction gave way to a smile and a squeeze of her hand. The moment was short-lived, though, as the simmering anger started to come back. "You know, maybe we need to prove a point to them," Ginny said.

"What do you mean?"

"You agree we need to continue our training, right?"

_Yes. What are you thinking, Ginevra Potter?_

She opened her mind and shared her thoughts, and Harry instantly agreed. Sitting on the sidelines was as unbearable to her as it was to Harry. Decision made in a split second, the two stood and approached the nearest of the American observers.

This man was named Master Sergeant Jerrick White. He stood well over two meters high, weighted easily 16 stone of pure muscle wrapped up under skin so black it seemed to suck the light from the air around them. He was easily the most intimidating man outside of Voldemort either had ever seen.

He looked up from his trainees with an expression of disgust and glared at them. "Get lost," he said. "The captain already said we don't train kids."

"Then fight us instead," Harry said.

The master sergeant's elegant brow rose up high on his otherwise bare head. "I don't fight children, but I'm not above spanking them if I have to."

"Then spank this," Harry said. He raised his wand, and almost faster than he could see the master sergeant whipped his wand around in a silent stunner. But as fast as he was, he really wasn't that much faster than Moody, and not as fast as the Unspeakable Jeffers, who was now leading a team in their many "operations."

Harry shielded the sergeant's stunner, and then he and Ginny both disapparated and reappeared at separate areas of the floor. They launched their own stunners at the master sergeant. The man was nothing if not skilled and rolled from one, shielded the other, and then snapped off another pair of stunners.

The other trainees quickly backed off the gym floor to leave the combatants room. As they fought, other of the "Observers" made their way into the gym, attracted by the noise. Another to arrive was Arthur Weasley, who had taken over administrative aspects of Shadow Ministry.

"What is White doing?" one of the Aussie instructors said.

"Knowing my daughter and Harry," Arthur said, "they probably picked the fight. Your colleagues' refusal to train them did not go over well."

The two teens were popping about on the floor with surprising skill and coordination and blasting at the taller, more experienced opponent. He tried twice to disapparate himself, only to be met almost immediately upon his re-materialization with stunners he could barely shield.

"Where did those two learn to fight like that?" the American captain, a man named Bailey, asked.

"Harry was targeted by You Know Who by prophecy since before the boy was even born," Arthur said. "He's faced him more than any other person alive."

"And is that your daughter, sir?" the American Lieutenant, Veronica Martin, inquired.

"It is indeed. Harry saved her life when he was twelve and she was eleven. He fought and killed a thousand-year-old basilisk. They are soul-bound as a result. And if you consider changing your training standards, you'll find that those two kids are the most powerful sorcerers other than You Know Who in the United Kingdom. Possibly even the world."

"The might squirts 'r given ya man trouble there, sure enough," Lance Corporal Mark Mulligan said with a snort as he watched the two kids take a man larger than both combined clear off his feet when their bludgeoning curse cracked his shield.

"Bloody 'ell," another of the Aussies said. "Didn't know you could break Sarge's shield ever."

Harry launched a blasting curse that White barely dodged. The curse slammed into the bleachers and obliterated them. The blowback knocked White from his feet, and when the debris cleared the stunned observers saw that Harry had also destroyed much of the wall with the curse.

"Hold!" Captain Bailey finally called. "All wands silent!"

With silent disapparitions, Harry and Ginny appeared side by side, just as they were when the fight began. White picked himself up, eyes wide, and stared at the kids in alarm. "What is the meaning of this?" Bailey demanded.

"We decline to accept your refusal to train us," Harry said with forced calm. He was barely breathing fast despite the exertions.

Captain Bailey walked up to the two kids, looking down on them with his best look of intimidation. "We don't not train under age wizards in combat situations. That is official policy handed straight down by the Secretary of Magic for the American Confederation of Wizards. It is not a personal decision."

"I don't care," Harry said. He and Ginny stepped forward and the air around them seemed literally to crackle with power. "Voldemort has our son. He killed our mothers. He's already killed me once. He's taken everything from us we value and we are going to get it back with or without your help. You are not here to fight our battles, you are here to help us learn better how to win our battles. And make no mistake, this is our battle! We are the only ones who can even hope to fight Voldemort, but we aren't ready yet. So make us ready. Train us."

"You're teen-agers."

"He has our son!" Harry screamed. The floor of the gymnasium of the abandoned primary school they were using as their headquarters cracked. Not just a few feet—the entire length of the large room's floor split, much like the potions class the year after they bonded.

Arthur stepped in, his face set. "Captain, as you can see, Harry and Ginny are extraordinarily powerful. And as they said, You Know Who has their son. My grandson. I will give written authorization as the acting Ministry of Magic senior administrative officer, but I think if we are to have any hope, we need these two trained by the best."

"I'll do it," White said as he joined them. "They have some weaknesses they cover up through power, but I can see they've had training already."

"From one of our Unspeakables and senior aurors," Arthur confirmed.

White said, "Look at me, runts."

Harry and Ginny both turned and glared. "If I train you, I train you like any other recruits. I'm not going to be your friend, I'm going to make your life miserable. You're going to hate me. And in the end, you're going to have a better chance to survive because of it. You think you're up to that?"

"We don't have any choice," Ginny said. "He has our son. We'll do anything we have to."

"Anything," Harry reiterated.

The huge American nodded. "I'll train them, Cap'n. Just get the paperwork down. Yo, Cortez, you take my group."

"Right, Sarge."

"Might be a fun project," one of the Aussie sergeants said. "Mind if we join in?"

"More the merrier," White said with a frightening grin.

That night, Harry and Ginny sought shelter in one of the rooms transfigured out of the many empty classrooms of the school building that housed the shadow government. Jameson Patil was the first to actually find the school, which had been left empty pending demolition. A few quick wards saved the building, and then a Fidelius ensured it was secured for their purposes.

Within days, ragged, tired members of the Order of the Phoenix started straggling in with their families; or in some sad cases without. Arthur quickly set up a headquarters in the former administrative wing of the school, parceling out rooms for the incoming survivors and procuring food. Some of the families had elves, and along with Dobby, those elves made a huge difference in turning the school into a functional headquarters.

The next day the surviving aurors showed up with their families. Some were injured—one or two very badly. This gave ample evidence to the purges Voldemort was conducting of the Ministry. But it also meant that more and more people flocked to the Order of the Phoenix.

Exactly eight days after the fall of the Ministry, a day before the Americans and Aussies were to arrived by muggle means, Arthur Weasley made a broadcast on a portable Wizarding Wireless transmitter.

"Good evening, my friends," the speech began. "My name is Arthur Weasley. A few days ago I was head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. As far as I know, I and Sirius Black are the only legitimate department heads to survive Voldemort's take-over of the Ministry.

"Yes, my friends. Do not believe anything Pius Thicknesse has told you—Voldemort himself is now firmly in control of the Ministry of Magic. Some of you have already suffered his wrath; others of you may even support him. I am speaking to you tonight to tell you that there is still hope out there. That not all of Amelia Bone's ministry is dead. Sirius Black, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, is rebuilding an auror corps that is determined to protect all members of wizarding Britain, and not just those who support Voldemort. We are working hard so that, when the time comes, we can show the Death Eaters that it is one thing to defeat a people, but it is quite another to keep them enthralled. We refuse to be slaves! I refuse to let the bastard who murdered my wife pretend to rule this land. It is intolerable.

"And so I call on you, my friends, my brothers and sisters, to stand firm. If you wish to fight, then join us. Otherwise stay quiet until the time is right, and know that the war is far from over. You are not alone. Thank you, and may magic keep you all."

In the days that followed, as the anti-Snatcher teams brought back more and more wizards willing and eager to fight, Arthur became the de facto head of the Shadow Ministry, while Sirius concentrated on the Operations side. Harry and Ginny knew it was inevitable. Sirius was a talented, capable man, but he worked best when he had a leader to follow.

Arthur's addresses continued every two days, though they made sure to switch frequencies every time. After Harry and Ginny's first day of formal training at the hands of the American and Australian observers, they listened as Arthur gave his next address.

He spoke about the number of people saved from Snatchers, and about the progress they were making in the "War against Tyranny" as Arthur called it. Harry and Ginny, exhausted and battered like neither had ever been, listened on the verge of sleep.

Their sleep was interrupted when a silvery figure flew in through the wall like a ghost. Harry sat up despite his protesting muscles with his wand out, as did Ginny, but they relaxed when they saw it was a patronus in the shape of a delicate, beautiful doe.

The image of beauty shattered when Snape's voice came from its mouth. "I know where your child is. Voldemort has marked the child like his father, and given him to the care of Narcissa Malfoy. She resides in Malfoy Manor as a favored member of the Inner Circle and is raising the child as her own. She calls him Orion Scorpius Malfoy."

Suddenly the doe dissolved. "He's alive," Ginny whispered.

Harry, though, sank to the floor. Ginny stared at him as his sudden, terrible grief welled up within him. He did not cry when he lost their mother; he did not cry when James was taken. Now, though, he cried. Bitter, angry, terrified tears poured down his face. Ginny fell to his face, terrified herself that she could feel his anguish but not the cause.

"Harry?"

"We're too late," Harry said after he recovered enough to speak. "Too late."

"What do you mean?"

He lifted his bangs to show his faded but still visible scar. "What Snape said. Marked like his father. He's a horcrux now, Ginny. We're too late—the only way to kill Voldemort will be if we kill our own son."


	48. Blooded

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Blooded **

On the second of December, a day that saw early snow fall over much of the northern British Isles, Harry and Ginny went on their first official assignment. There was never even any discussion of separating them. In fact, the general consensus among their trainers was that they could not really fight as well apart.

The raid was commanded by Jameson Patil, with Sergeant Andrea DeVere and Master Sergeant Jerrick White as the mission "observers". The three adults were the only ones other than Harry and Ginny on their team, but theirs was actually one of four teams taking part. Their target was a ministry staging area where muggleborns and other targets were held pending transfer to Azkaban.

The plan was to capture the staging area as a prelude to invading and taking back Azkaban to free the muggleborns held there.

For such a nefarious purpose, the staging site seemed like an innocuous storefront just north of the University of Leeds. The window had a large "Out of Business!" sign and at one time or another sold imported furniture at amazing discount prices.

Harry and Ginny quickly learned that going on a raid meant hours and hours of extreme boredom, punctuated by a quick staccato burst of intense violence.

For the past four hours, they, Jameson and their two trainers sat in a McDonalds restaurant, drinking too much soda and eating too many fries and cheeseburgers while waiting for the signal. After the fifth hour, at last, Patil reached into his pocket and looked down at an oddly vibrating galleon. "That's it," he said quietly.

Holding hands and gulping nervously, Harry and Ginny followed the three adults into the back of the restaurant. Fortunately it was mid-afternoon on a school day, and so the place was nearly disserted. "Ready?" Patil asked.

"Ready!" they chimed.

With that, the five-person team disapparated with a series of "pops". They appeared across the street on the roof of the abandoned shop in the middle of a fire-fight. The first team was bogged down with two men already down. In a moment of common thought, Harry and Ginny each disapparated to the far opposite corners of the roof where, between the two of them, they could see the whole field of battle. They saw seven wizards and two witches in sloppy auror robes firing on the rescue teams with the red bands on their arms. Magical shields and colored spell-fire lit up the roof. If not for the powerful muggle-repelling charms on the building, the whole of Leeds would have come to see what the lights were about.

There was no discussion; no analyzing of targets. With eyes joined by a common soul, Harry aimed at one grouping of the enemy and Ginny aimed at another, and they silently cast their most powerful blasting curses.

The enemies were trained and capable. They saw the violent purple spells flying at them and at least one member in each grouping raised a magical shield. But as happened in the past, the enemy could not have accounted for the sheer power behind the curses. The shields did not crack—they dissipated like paper before a boulder. The witch Ginny struck managed an aborted scream before her upper-torso exploded in a shower of gore that knocked her colleagues off their feet. Harry's target did not even get a chance to scream before the spell ripped through his chest and into the wizard behind him. The second man's head simply popped like a melon dropped from a skyscraper.

The whole field stopped the fight for a moment as both sides absorbed with shock the power of the new attack. The moment lasted only until Master Sergeant White launched a piercing curse at the nearest enemy still standing. With the tide inexorably turned, the surviving aurors quickly fell.

"You two alright?" Patil asked. The second team was tending its wounded, who disappeared in the flurry of portkeys.

"I'm going to be sick later," Ginny said. "But I'm okay."

"Harry?"

"Fine. Not the first person I've killed."

Jameson nodded with a sad smile. "That I know, my friend. White, DeVere, raise the wards."

The two—an American and an Australian, both enlisted in their muggle militaries as wizards at large, quickly laid out a set of ward stones. In moments, Harry and Ginny felt the tingle of anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards. With the wards established, Jameson raised his wand and unleashed a torrent of red sparks.

Below, Harry could hear blasting charms from both the front and back doors as the other two teams began their attack. "Alright Wonder Twins," White said with a grin that looked frightening, "make a hole."

Harry and Ginny pointed the wands at a point in the middle of the roof and once more fire a pair of over-powered blasting charms. Before the smoke even settled, White jumped through with a silent cushioning charm. DeVere and Patil followed moments later, and only then did Harry and Ginny follow.

The interior of the shop was filled with smoke, dust and terrified screams. The screams shocked Harry and Ginny as they saw quickly that the shop was filled with captured muggleborns, squibs and blood traitors bound for Azakaban. Already the other teams were trading spell-fire with the "ministry" aurors, which were caught in a vice-like grip between the two attacking fronts.

Harry and Ginny split up, targeting the strongest enemy shields for their piercing hexes. They depended on auras to pick their targets, rather than just their eyes, since so much was shrouded by the dust, but the magical aura around each wizard was plain to see.

It was for that reason that they shouted, "Stop firing! Stop firing!" at the same time when only one of the red robes was left standing.

"Who is that?" The voice belonged to Sirius himself, who led the team that charged the front door.

"Sirius, the last man is innocent!" Harry shouted through the din.

Harry could not see Sirius, but he could hear his godfather shout, "Alright, man, lay down your wand and identify yourself!"

"Rufus Dinlittle," came the voice.

"Dinlittle?" They could hear confusion in Sirius's voice. "What the hell are you doing working for Voldemort's puppet?"

"Trying to help the muggle-born, you jackass!" came the snappish response. "I've miskeyed three portkeys to Ireland already and was on the verge of getting at least half these people out!"

Harry and Ginny sensed as much as heard the air freshening charm, and in a trice the smoke was gone, leaving the warehouse interior visible. Snatchers and dark aurors lay spread across the floor, while in two corners two members of the rescue teams were also down. Sirius himself was walking toward a thin, sandy-headed man in auror robes.

With a word, Sirius wrapped the startled man in a hug. "Good to see you again, Rufus. You remember Jameson Patil, right?"

"Jameson, good to see you," Dinlittle said, shaking Patil's hands. "And the kids? Are those the Potters? Why are they with you?"

"Heaviest hitters we have. Listen, how much access do you have to Azkaban?"

"Complete," Dinlittle said. "I know the ward keys to portkey the victims directly to Azkaban."

Sirius looked hungry. Jameson, though, said, "What's happened on the island?"

Dinlittle's hopeful expression turned dark. "Ever see pictures of the muggle holocaust? It's that bad. The dementors are gone, but Voldemort's been rewarding Death Eaters with time at Azkaban to play. I was going to just try and lay low until I saw… I just couldn't live with that. So I've been miskeying portkeys to get them to a cousin in Ireland whose been sheltering them."

As they were talking, Harry and Ginny walked among the muggleborns. A frightening number were just pre-Hogwarts age kids who were terrified or traumatized into silence. A few adults looked back at them with beaten expressions. They almost jumped when they felt Sirius's hands on their shoulders.

"We're going to evacuate them to Dinlittle's contact," he said. "I'll contact the Prime Minister to work with the Irish to make sure they have decent lodging and care."

"How could he do this?" Harry whispered. "How could anyone be this evil?"

He felt his godfather's hand squeeze. "I wish I knew, Harry. But we have a good plan in place. Azkaban is going to fall. And not in weeks—we're going tonight. Are you with us?"

"Yes," the two said resolutely.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

It was, by far, their largest raid. It was also the most dangerous, because if they lost, the Shadow Ministry would cease to exist.

Everyone was going, even Arthur Weasley. His elder children gathered their wands and exploding potions, while the remnant auror and hitwizard forces went over the plan. All twenty observers from both American and Australia were there, along with an additional fifty or so recruits they had gathered and trained over the weeks since they began defeating the snatcher squads. All of them gathered in the warehouse in northern Leeds. A force of over a hundred and fifty witches and wizards stood ready to storm what used to be considered an unbreakable fortress.

The muggleborns were safely away, and Dinlittle was working on the portkey ropes while everyone there mentally braced themselves for the storming of the castle.

Ginny and Harry spent their time sitting against a wall holding hands. They were thinking about the patronus that told them where their son was. Snape was on their side, but to what extent could they trust his information? And more importantly, how could they make use of the information? The fact they had a lead they could not follow was more frustrating than knowing nothing at all.

"Are you two okay?"

They looked up to see the Australian, DeVere, studying them. "We're fine," Harry said.

DeVere was a plain-looking woman in her early twenties. She wore her hair trimmed close in a boyish style that was offset by the clearly feminine planes of her face and neck. She never wore cosmetic charms of any kind, which added to her plain appearance. However, she was frighteningly fast in her spell casting and her aim was near perfect.

She knelt down beside them and made a point of studying the preparation around them. "I have a kid too," she admitted. "Four years old. Has her dad's eyes."

"Where is she?"

"With her dad and my mother in law back in Brisbane," DeVere said.

"Must be hard coming here."

"It's hard being away from my family," DeVere said. "But it wasn't hard deciding to come. And you saw why earlier, didn't you?"

The muggleborn children. Mutely, Harry and Ginny nodded.

"It's not right, kids being caught up in this. They're always the first victims. From what I hear, you two know all about that too."

"Yeah." Harry couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice.

"Well, just know this. You're not alone. Not just you two, but England. The rest of the wizarding world knows what's happening even if we can't all come rushing in. That's why I'm here away from my family, and that's why if I fall another will come after me. I've heard how you two have to fight this battle, but you don't have to fight it alone."

"Thank you."

DeVere shrugged. "This fight could get pear-shaped fast. Stay with White, me or Patil. He was a warden there for a while, so he knows the layout better than anyone else here."

"We will."

Ten minutes later, Sirius cleared his throat. "Attention! All teams assemble!"

Harry and Ginny once again joined Jameson Patil, Jerrick White and Andrea DeVere, with another five aurors and hitwizards gathering behind them. They were organizing in fifteen teams of ten each.

Harry noticed that the first team had four wizards in the grungy auror robes worn by the original defenders of the store. The rest used charms to make themselves appear tired, dirty and defeated.

"The receiving platform is large enough to handle only one team at a time," Sirius explained to the invaders. "Dinlittle tells us it is guarded by at least ten people at all times. The first team, you're going to act the part of the muggleborns. You need to get off the platform in thirty seconds or you will be flattened by the next team. Alright, team one ready!"

The first team took the portkey rope and spread it between them. Sirius help up a wand and the whole room went quiet. "Five," Sirius counted down, "four, three, two, one…_portus!" _

With a swirl, the first team was gone. The second team ran quickly into place and began threading the rope between them while Sirius counted down from thirty. When he reached one, he activated the second portkey and the second team was gone.

Team after team disappeared, until by the eighth team it was Harry and Ginny's turn. Sirius stared right at Harry, trying to communicate the urgency of the situation even while he counted down. Harry took Ginny's hand on the rope while clutching the Elder wand. Ginny clutched his holly wand in her other hand. "…two, one…_portus!_"

The world swirled around them, and suddenly they were on a platform and someone was screaming, "Duck!"

The two instinctively ducked down as a killing curse flew over their heads and struck a hitwizard clear in the face behind them. The dead man flipped head over heels off the platform and slammed with a sickening _thump_ into the far wall.

"Seek cover!" White shouted. The two followed the large sergeant as he led the way off the platform. He was met by a hitwizard from an earlier team squatting against a wall within the confined space. The floor was littered with bodies.

"First foray's were beaten back," the man shouted over the chaos of spellfire. "We've been pinned in by an unknown number."

Harry and Ginny scanned the walls around them until they saw a clumping of auras through the rock. The auras were black. "Sergeant, we can break through the back wall," Harry said. "There are ten dark wizards behind it."

By this time Patil, DeVere and the rest of the team had joined them. "How do you know?" Patil asked.

"We can see their auras through the stone. Can you cover us?"

"We've got you, give it a shot!" White said. The whole team formed a phalanx around Harry and Ginny, firing constantly at the portholes in the walls that surrounded the chamber. At that moment another team arrived on the platform, but Harry and Ginny didn't have time to think about them.

Holding hands, the two raised their wands at the same time and screamed together, "_Reducto!_"

The wall at the back of the arrival room exploded. Instantly five of the auras behind it faded into nothing. Without hesitation, the two jumped into the hole. "We have a breach!" a voice was shouting behind them. Harry couldn't tell who it was, but beside him Ginny thought it was Bill Weasley. They broke into a hallway and quickly stunned the five survivors of the blast. Other teams followed as the entire force flanked the barricades. The castle defenders only had fifty fighters. Once containment was broken, they had no hope and quickly surrendered.

What came next was a cell-by-cell search of the entire castle. Without dementors there, the castle was not nearly as gloomy as it could have been, and they immediately began to see the benefits of such a place as their new headquarters.

First, though, they had to help the prisoners—hundreds of prisoners.

By the second cell, Ginny moved in constant tears. By the tenth, she had stopped crying and simply moved along with quiet shock. Muggle-born children were thrown into cells with their parents and then forgotten. Many were starving to death; some were already gone. The smell was terrible, but the sight of young children sitting hopelessly beside their dead parents was just too much to bear.

Finally, Harry and Ginny fled the recovery efforts and moved back to the administrative wing of the prison. They found Arthur Weasley there talking with Sirius, Jameson Patil, and the captains from Australia and America.

"Everything will be documented," Captain Bailey was promising Arthur. "With this much evidence, the ICW will be forced to at least make a formal inquiry. That might be enough to distract Voldemort's puppets long enough to buy you time."

Arthur looked up as Harry and Ginny arrived and merely smiled sadly at them as the young couple took a seat against the far wall.

A moment later White walked in, his jaw clenched. "We've finished recovery efforts, Captain Bailey."

"How many?"

"Two hundred and thirty three were being held. Children ranged in age from three to twelve with their parents. Forty three parents died. The children's magic sustained them enough that only five of them died. We're already providing nutrient potions until we can get them out."

"And you've documented everything?"

"Wizarding photos of every cell, and narration and tempus spells for pensieve debriefing at a later date."

"Good work, Sergeant."

"Sergeant White," Arthur said, "perhaps Harry and Ginny can assist with the surviving orphaned children."

White turned and saw the forlorn teens and nodded. "Excellent suggestion, Mr. Weasley. Potters, with me."

He spoke firmly, but not unkindly. He led them back out of the room and into the receiving area, where twenty nine kids stood staring about with glazed, half-starved and traumatized faces. White pulled out a long rope. "Activation phrase is _hope_," he said in a suddenly soft and gently voice at odds with his fierce expression. "Get them back to the headquarters. A few healers are there to help."

Harry and Ginny walked toward the kids, who back away in terror. "Hello there," Ginny said with a heart-broken smile. "My name is Ginny. This is Harry. We're going to help you. Are any of you hungry? We have a place where they make good food."

A little girl of six years old with wispy blond hair and sunken cheeks said, "Will mommy be there?"

Ginny sank to the floor, no longer able to maintain the façade, and started to cry. Harry walked a little closer to the girl and knelt down before her. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Kat."

"Is that short for Katherine?"

"Kathleen," the girl said.

"A beautiful name. My name is Harry. I don't have a mum or dad. Know that?"

The little girl, having no idea who he was, shook her head. "You're like me now, Kat. Your Mum and Dad, they had to go away to another place. They can see you and love you, probably more than anything, but you can't see them any more. And it's going to be really hard. But you know what?"

The girl's jaw was trembling, and she shook her head again.

"It's going to be alright because we're going to stick together. All of us." He looked up at the other children until he spotted the oldest. "You, what's your name?"

"Beth," the girl said. She had swarthy skin and Mediterranean features.

"How old are you, Beth?"

"I turned twelve in September. Mum and Papa said that the wand people were wicked when they came to make us go to that school, and they were right!"

"Not all of us our wicked, Beth," Harry said. He held up his wand. "I'm only three years older than you are. I'm fifteen. And I am a wizard. All of you are also witches and wizards. You have magic inside of you, and some day when you're older you'll learn to do magic."

He conjured a rabbit to everyone's amazement, and let the rabbit go. Strangely, it hopped to Kat and sat by her bare, filthy feet until she bent down and picked it up.

"Bad things are happening in the magical world," Harry said. "A war. The bad side came and took your parents away. But now the good side is here. There are even Americans and Australians with us. And we've got a school we're all living at that has doctors in it, and really nice folks who cook really good. Ginny and I…we'd like you to come with us. But we need you to stay together. So Beth, since you're oldest, you're the official big sister. Is anyone else twelve? No? How 'bout eleven?"

Two hands raised, both boys. "Alright, names?"

"Olliver!" "Davey!"

"Alright, Olliver and Davey, you're the official big brothers. You two and Beth are Ginny and my assistants. Ginny and I will be your mum and dad for now."

"You're not old enough!" Beth said.

"But we do have a baby," Ginny said, wiping away her tears. "A baby boy named James. The bad people took him from us, just like he took your mums and dads from you. Harry's my husband. It's a long story about how we got married so young. It's a story with monsters and evil ghosts and the bravest wizard to ever live. I'll tell you after we get you some food. We'll be your mum and dad until others can find you better ones, and you can be our kids until we get our James back. Can you all do that?"

Most of the kids who were able to nodded. Harry took the rope and unrolled it down the middle of the group. "This is like a flying carpet," he explained. "All of you grab a hold of this rope, and when everyone is ready, it will take us to safety."

Five minutes later, they were gone. In the space they occupied, Arthur Weasely and Sirius Black stepped from around the corner. Both men were teary-eyed. "Hogwarts next?" Arthur asked.

"Hogwarts next. And then Malfoy Manor," Sirius said with steel in his voice.


	49. Who Needs the Cavalry

Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a happy holiday, and further hope the coming year brings everyone cheer. We are fast approaching the end of the story. Thank you for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Who Needs the Cavalry?**

Severus Snape stood back from the headmaster's floo with a dark, angry expression. Behind him, the Carrows sat indolently in guest chairs drinking Albus Dumbledore's personal brandy. "What is it Sev?" Alecto said with a leer. "Boyfriend upset with you?"

Her brother, Amycus, laughed uproariously.

Snape ignored the jibe as he walked back to the headmaster's desk. Behind him, the portrait of Albus Dumbledore looked on impassively. "I have just learned that Black has taken Azkaban," he said. "All the muggleborns there have been freed, and our own people were captured or killed to the man."

Amycus, as tall and lean as his sister was short and thick-set, jumped to his feet and threw his the priceless crystal goblet filled with brandy into the far wall. "What? Why are we sitting here?"

"The Dark Lord believes they will be coming here next."

"Not unless they want their previous kiddies cut into ribbons," Alecto said. Instead of the leer she normally wore, there now rested on her face an expression of lust. Not sexual lust, but an intense desire for blood.

"Indeed, the Dark Lord had similar thoughts. Assemble all the students in the great hall. Our orders are to stun them, bound them, and then hang them from the walls of the castle with charmed ropes that will break as soon as Black or any of his deluded followers try to enter the castle."

Alecto's eyes literally twinkled, as if she were channeling some perverted impression of Dumbledore himself. "Brilliant. 'Ear that, 'Lecto? Brilliant."

"No one messes with the Dark Lord!" Alecto agreed.

"Well?" Snape snapped. "Gather our people and get the students."

"If the staff resists?"

"Stun them and treat them the same as the students."

"Ohh, I get Vectra!" Amycus said.

"Only if I get to watch!" Alecto threw back at him. The two left, laughing and joking about the things they were going to do. As soon as they were gone, Snape conjured his doe-shaped Patronus and sent it on its way. The timing had to be perfect, or everything would fall apart.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Almost a month had passed since Remus and Tonks led the students into the Room of Requirement. It was almost a month before the two adults took upon themselves the security and guardianship of over one hundred students ranging in age from eleven to eighteen.

Fortunately, they had help. Cedric Diggory truly came into his own not just as Head Boy, but almost as the big brother all of them needed. He took the lead in organizing sleeping areas for the kids, while in a surprising move Neville Longbottom stepped forward as the group's bursar, working with the elves in secret to ensure there was enough food and supplies. The Death Eaters who ran the castle knew so little about the workings of the kitchens that they never even bothered to question whether the students were still being fed or not. They just assumed Lupin and Tonks had led them away.

The room itself expanded almost to the size of the great hall, and in each corner walls rose to divide the spaces into living areas and washrooms. Rather than grouping the kids by the houses, the groupings were based on age and gender.

That was the good news.

The bad news consisted of one hundred and three children who had not been outside in over a month and were getting more than a little stir crazy. Fights broke out almost every day despite the compulsory training that Tonks and Remus were both conducting. They tried to come up with games to take the kid's minds off what was happening, but it was beyond difficult.

The children were terrified not just for themselves, but for their families. As much as they wanted to, Remus and Tonks could not promise the kids that their families would be okay because they themselves weren't sure of it. Tonks wasn't even sure her father was alive, being muggleborn.

And so every day, Tonks and Remus trained them, hard. First years learned not just the stunning spell, but also the _reducto _curse, and basic shields. The shields were rarely strong enough to stop even a weak stunners, but the fact that children so young could do even that much was impressive.

Tonks, meanwhile, put the upper years through the ringer. Once again Cedric showed his true talent, and soon was not learning beside Tonks, but teaching with her. Here again, Neville surprised many others by emerging as not just the best dueler in the fifth years, but for the entire upper level years aside from Tonks herself. The others learned quickly as well.

Rather than teach them to fight individually, Tonks and Remus agreed to teach them to fight in pairs. Though their skills were impressive, they were still young enough that their magic was just not as strong on average as an adults. By pairing them, the disparity in power became less pronounced.

Tonks also got a kick out of how Luna Lovegood managed to position herself as Cedic's partner. More enjoyable, though, was how thoroughly the two were able to work together so easily. "Well, Harry and Ginny did say our auras were well matched," Luna said with a shrug when Tonks congratulated them after one grueling but successful round of training. "And interestingly enough, I'll be of the age of consent when he graduates. Isn't that wonderful?"

Cedric by this time usually just blushed and shook his head, but Tonks was skilled enough in body language to know that he wasn't trying to push the odd Ravenclaw away, and for good reason. Though Luna looked a little odd at present with her rather large eyes, there was about her a subtle but very clear promise of overwhelming beauty when she finished growing.

Even still, every night after the elves fed them, the students gathered around the center of the room where the lone fire place rested and stared at the flickering flames while listening to the wireless. They listened for Arthur Weasley's announcements, depending on the man's words not just for hope, but for news.

On the last night of their forced stay in the room, however, news did not come in the form of the wireless. Rather, the whole crowd stared in awe as a glowing, silver doe passed through the wall and ran toward Remus. The doe trotted up to Remus and seemed to be speaking to him quietly. Message delivered, the doe disappeared in a puff of silver mist.

Remus did not move at first, but rather stared into some dark corner of existence only he could see. "Remus?" Tonks asked, touching his shoulder in an intimate fashion the older kids understood, but Remus himself had yet to grasp.

"It's starting tonight," he said. "The true Ministry and taken back Azkaban and freed all the muggleborns kept there. Voldemort believes they're coming here next and has ordered all the students to be hung from the walls as hostages."

Immediate howls of fear and outrage echoed across the room. Remus lifted a hand. "We're not going to let that happen. The time is now. We've been training for a month. There are only thirteen Death Eaters in this castle. We're taking it back. Anyone fourth year and up who's with us, form up by the doors."

Remus couldn't help his smile when he saw every single student fourth year and above jump to their feet. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. The blue group of fourth years, you're actually going to stay here to guard the lower years. Don't groan—we have to keep everyone as safe as possible. The rest of you, listen up." Remus removed the Marauder's Map. "This map is charmed to show everyone in the castle. Right now there are Death Eaters moving all the students to the great hall. We need to get them before they have all the students in one place. So, we're breaking into teams. I'll take the red group of fourth years and blue of sixth. Tonks will have the red of sixth and blue of fifth. Cedric, you're going to take the seventh years and the red of fifth. Tonks and I will save the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Cedric, you save the Hufflepuffs."

"No Slytherins?" Hermione asked.

"We saw from Snape's announcement where most of them stand," Tonks said without hesitation. "I seriously doubt Snape would use them since their parents are all Death Eaters. If they stand with us, then we'll welcome them. But we can't afford to risk our lives for people that might then turn around and curse us in our backs."

"I agree," Cedric said.

Hermione did not look happy, but couldn't argue with their logic.

"All right, the door is going to open. Go fast, hit them without hesitation, and try to get as many students to join you as you can. Send the lower years back here. Are we ready?"

It proved much, much easier than Remus feared. There were fifty-eight fifth years and above. With Tonks and Remus, that made for sixty combatants, with twenty people per team. Those teams quickly spread through the castle to take on thirteen poorly trained Death Eaters spread out among the whole castle.

Remus's group encountered the first group, among them Alecto and Amycus Carrow. The two were torturing Parvati Patil with leering smiles while another Death Eater in dirty auror robes pushed the brow-beaten Gryffindors out of their common room.

Remus did not hesitate a moment. He pointed his wand at the distracted Alecto, a vile woman who picked on him throughout the three years they had together in school, and shouted _"Confingo!_" He did not need to shout the spell aloud, but there was a certain satisfaction in pronouncing the curse.

Alecto looked up in surprise just in time for her head to explode. Amycus jerked back as his sister's cranial matter splattered across his face, but did not seem to understand what was happening. He still wore a look of confusion when a second blasting curse killed him as well. Meanwhile, Luna Lovegood led seven other students in casting _redactor_ curses at the remaining Death Eater. The man shredded like cheese before a grater.

The Gryffindors stood staring in surprise.

"Hiding time is over," Remus announced. "We're taking the castle back. Third years and below, and anyone who doesn't want to fight, go the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy on the seventh floor and wait there. The rest, come with us."

By the time he reached the Great Hall, the fight was already over. Minerva McGonagall stood defiantly over a kneeling, scowling Severus Snape while the Slytherins cowered in a corner of the room under the collected wands of the entire house of Hufflepuff.

"Nice of you to join us," Minerva said. "Are you well?"

"I am. The Carrows are dead. Are the others accounted for?"

"You mean we could'a killed them?" a fifth year from Cedric's group shouted.

"Just as well you didn't," Tonks said.

Minerva nodded. "Indeed. I received a patronus message from Arthur Weasley that Azkaban had been liberated. I knew the time to act was now."

Remus nodded and joined her, looking down at Snape. The short-tenured headmaster of the school bore a pair of cuts from close misses and a patch of burned off hair. His robes were singed and torn, but otherwise intact. "So what do we do with Professor Snape here?"

Minerva all but snarled. "He is no professor here. No professor would dare allow the treatment I saw my lions subjected to. Children assaulted in the halls! Why, if ever there was just cause of an unforgivable…"

Remus very gently took the professor's wand and lifted it. "No, Minerva. You'd never forgive…."

"_Depulso!" _Snape shouted, brandishing a previously hidden spare wand.

The banishing charm hit the two dead center, causing each to go flying off in different directions. Before the charm was even cast, Snape was spinning on his feet and casting a silent curse at Tonks.

The auror shielded the spell, and then had to do the same for others as Snape cast a series of jinxes and curses at the children beside her as he ran toward the door. The rest of the students stood complete off guard, save one.

Neville Longbottom hated Snape with a passion few could understand. This man was the bane of Neville's existence, and he could not stand by and watch him get away. So, leaving Cedric behind, he ran after the fleeing potions master.

He caught up with Snape at the door and cast a _reductor, _only for Snape to slap it aside with a dueling shield. Neville did not stop, though. He shouted curse after curse, feeling a terrible desire to see Snape dead.

Finally, Snape turned and silently cast a spell that landed Neville on his backside. "Save it, Longbottom," Snape snarled. "You'll have plenty of time to fight when the Dark Lord comes!"

With that, Snape disappeared into the night.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

The next morning, Severus Snape gathered his tattered cloak around him against the chill of the November morning, and walked to the edge of the wards of Malfoy Manor. He did not attempt to enter since he was unsure of his welcome. A moment after his arrival, one of his former students walked up to the wrought-iron gates on the edge of the Malfoy property.

"Professor Snape," Miles Bletchley said. "You shouldn't be here. Word's already spread that you lost Hogwarts."

The boy was one of the few who did not laugh at Snape's last round of Torture.

"I have nowhere else to go."

"He'll kill you for failing him. He was already in a bad mood about Azkaban. Killed Thews just for bring the news. He'll kill you for just living."

"Yes, probably so."

"Right, come on, then."

Bletchley opened the gate and led Snape onto the grounds.

The Malfoy Estate was as immaculate as it ever was when Lucius was alive. Though the family was essentially dead with the passing of both Lucius and his son, the elves continued to maintain the grounds. Snape continued up the gravel path, through a line of topiaries in the shape of majestic dragons, charmed to flap their wings, and into the inner grounds and the manor itself.

Malfoy's mansion was an ideal spot for Voldemort because of its sheer size. The manor house had over twenty bedrooms, and sufficient ball rooms to billet an army. It was built in the neo-classical style with delicate carved columns lining the massive front portico.

Two more men were waiting by the column, and Snape soon saw that they were also former Snakes of his—Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole. The two nodded wordlessly and fell in around and behind Snape as they entered the manor.

They walked into the beautifully maintained mansion, through the entryway and past the music room and library, to the grand ballroom where Voldemort had established his throne room. Nothing about the room had changed since Snape last arrived, save that Bellatrix Lestrange was gone, and Augustus Rookwood now stood at Voldemort's side.

"Severus Snape!" Voldemort called as the potions master fell to his knees ten feet from the dark lord. He felt more than saw his former students leave him there to face his fate alone. "I admit I am surprised to see you here. I thought you would have at least had the courtesy to die at your post."

Snape kept his eyes down. "The werewolf and his pet auror were hiding somewhere in the school, Master, in a room only the elves knew about. We were preparing the students as you instructed when he and the students with him attacked. The Carrows and at least seven others are dead, the last four captured. They were holding all of Slytherin house at wand point when they brought me in. They were going to kill me, but I had a spare wand and managed to escape."

Voldemort listened to the story in silence. "You were beaten by children?"

"Minerva McGonagall actually captured me, Lord. She caught me by surprise in the headmaster's office. I did not realize she had a secret entryway available to her that Dumbledore never told me about. But I blasted her and the werewolf off their feet before I escaped."

"Bested by an eighty-year-old teacher, Severus?" Voldemort said. Though his serpentine face was without expression, his voice sounded cold. "And in the wake of your humiliating defeat, you come crawling back to me. Interesting. What good are you, Severus? Can you still brew?"

It was a vicious question from a vicious mind. Snape kept his face blank. "Your punishment following my earlier weakness was sufficient than I can no longer safely brew. However, I can still wield a wand. I can no longer fight with the likes of Augustus, but I daresay I am far better than most of your recruits. Minerva McGongall caught me by surprise, otherwise she would be dead."

"I would like to decide that myself, Severus. Perhaps a demonstration. Bletchley!"

Miles ran forward and knelt down. "M'lord."

"You are to duel with Professor Snape. The duel is to be to the death."

Bletchley looked up, white-faced. "Yes, m'lord," he managed to say.

"Now, Severus, you have an opportunity to prove yourself."

Snape closed his eyes, cursing this man who had made his life pure misery. "Thank you, m'lord."

He stood and walked to the far end of the room while Bletchley assumed a classic dueling pose. Miles was one of Snape's better students, but the boy was still not even twenty. Upon Voldemort's word, Bletchley released a pair of silently cast stunners followed by the killing curse.

Snape batted the stunners aside and conjured a steel shield to block the killing curse. He then conjured a pair of snakes toward the Slytherin, followed by shower of darts. Bletchley deftly avoided the darts but had to turn his attention to the snakes, which forced him to drop his shields, if even for a moment.

"_Sectumsempra_!" Snape hissed. The curse caught Bletchley right in the chest and shredded through his clothes and into his torso. Snape quickly followed with the killing curse, wanting to ensure the boy's suffering did not continue.

The hall was silent following the demonstration, until Voldemort slowly began to clap. "Very nicely done, Severus. I noticed you were a bit slow, but as you said, better than most of my followers. It was a nice touch to remind us all who actually created that wonderfully diabolic curse. Would you wish to challenge me?"

"Never, lord. Even at my best, I could never hope to challenge you."

"True. Very well, Snape. You may return to the fold. I'll have Thicknesse find a place for you until we take Hogwarts back. It is sad the school is about to experience a drastic drop in attendance, but then again, it's about to lose most of its teaching staff as well."

Snape bowed almost to the floor. "Thank you, Master."

With Voldemort's casual dismissal, Snape turned and left the Grand Ball room and did not stop until he reached the nearest wash room, where he was thoroughly, noisily sick. The door opened a moment after him and Derrick walked in, with Adrian Pucey and Lucian Bole. The three paused when they interrupted Snape's illness.

"What is wrong with you?" Pucey demanded in a sneer.

"I just killed one of my favorite students," Snape snapped back. "What do you think is wrong, you imbecile."

The answer made the three young men blink in surprise. "You killed our friend."

"No, our lord killed your friend, I was just the wand he used. Do you honestly think anything happens in this house that our master does not desire?"

Again, the response made the three men blink. Snape knew them well enough to know they were coming to curse him for Bletchley's death. He also knew in his current condition, he might be able to kill them, but more likely he would die. He could not afford the fight. "Remember this lesson, boys. The Dark Lord knows everything. He is likely listening right now. He held me under the pain curse until I can't brew any more. That is how he treats all failures and those who displease him. For your own sakes, make sure you never, ever displease him."

With that, Snape swept past them with his billowing cloak, praying to magic itself that they didn't curse him in the back. When the curses did not come, he made his way up the stairs to the third level where the Malfoys used to live.

He found Narcissa Malfoy in the nursery. It had been fifteen years since he last saw her there, with a newborn Draco. She was there now, rocking and humming a child's ditty while she held a dark-haired child to her swollen breast.

It took everything Snape had not to shout in dismay as he walked in.

She looked up with a slightly glaze to her eyes from the magical pull of the her witch's milk, but the glaze lasted only until her gaze sharpened on his features. "What are you doing here?" she said with icy calm.

"Hogwarts has fallen. The Dark Lord in his mercy has allowed me to return until we take it back. All it took was the life of one of my favorite students."

She looked away from him and down at the nursing boy. "The babe is strange. He does not cry anymore."

"He carries a fragment of our Lord's soul," Snape said. "He is a living horcrux. A just punishment for the crimes Potter committed against him."

Rather than disgust her, the information merely made Narcissa nod. She lifted the child and switched breasts, not caring at all that her dead son's godfather caught a full view of her exposed chest. "It is odd again to be breast feeding after all these years. I was surprised the lactation charm worked as well as it did."

"You are a witch in your prime, why wouldn't it work?"

"I felt older than I was, I suppose," she said. Without looking up from the scuckling babe, she said, "You let him die, Severus."

Severus closed his eyes. "I tried with all my soul, Cissa. But he was his father's son, doing his father's exact orders. If I was there with him, I would be dead as well."

"It was Potter's bitch who killed my son, isn't it?"

"She cast the curse. He died later of…complications."

Narcissa shifted the babe's hair from his still irritated-looking scar. "Draco has been avenged. This boy is mine, now. The Dark Lord has given him to me to raise. I shall name him a Malfoy. I shall have him registered and will perform the blood rites to make him wholly a Malfoy. And when the Dark Lord brings Potter and his whore to me, I'll watch them scream with their son on my breast."

Snape nodded. "A fitting revenge," he said, though his stomach was twisting. "I wished to make sure you were well."

"I am well, thank you. Leave, now, Severus. Leave and don't come into this room again. I'm afraid I may have to kill you if you do. You let me son die, even after you promised to protect him."

Severus nodded once, turned and left. He had thought perhaps he might be able to save her—he always had a soft spot for Narcissa, who was so much more refined and elegant than her sister Bellatrix. But after that conversation, he knew that she was completely and forever beyond saving.


	50. The Final Battle

**Chapter Fifty: The Final Battle**

Hermione cried in relief as she wrapped Harry and Ginny in a hug. The two came through the front door amid the squad of fifty fighters Black dedicated to the defense of Hogwarts, only to find the school had freed itself.

After the initial rushed and frenzied greetings between the friends, Ginny and Ron shared a long, heart-broken hug, which soon expanded as more Weasleys arrived. The twins came in, as did Bill, and every one sought to include Ron in the family grieving he had been forced to miss. Hermione got wrapped up into it just because she was considered family. Charlie was noticeably absent.

The halls of the school were chaotic at first, and it actually fell to the newly arrived liberation force to restore order. Eventually, with the help of the staff, they gathered all the students into the Great Hall, save for the Slyherins who were essentially under house arrest. When they were finally gathered and quieted enough to listen, Lieutenant DeVere stood before the staff table to make an announcement.

It took Jerrick White shouting for everyone to sit down and shut up before they could actually hear what DeVere had to say.

"First off," the Australian officer said, "the Australian and American Ministries have officially offered sanctuary to any United Kingdom citizen whether magical or mundane who needs to go. Acting Minister Weasley and acting DMLE Director Sirius Black have both requested that any students fourth year and below take advantage of this sanctuary. We have a list of the recovered victims of Azkaban who have already taken taken shelter, and what country they have gone to. I'll be honest, we want the children out of the way because we have a war to fight, and the enemy has shown no hesitation to use children."

After the meeting, DeVere posted the lists. Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron watched as students gathered with unnerving silence around the lists. Some cried out with relief when they found that familiar members were waiting for them in safety, while others stumbled away with shocked, broken expressions.

"Hermione, why don't you go look?" Ron asked gently.

"I'm afraid," she finally admitted.

"Don't be," Harry said. "The Grangers have been living at the Shadow Ministry headquarters since right after the coup. We picked them up right after Mrs. Weasley's cremation. Your mom and dad are both really good cooks, and both of them helped with the families we rescued. They eventually decided to go to Australia and asked me to let you know they love you."

Hermione wilted in relief and shined a brilliant smile at them. "Thank you."

"You're family," Ginny said with a shrug.

That same evening, after the rest of the student body went to bed, grim-faced staff members and Shadow Ministry officials marched the Slytherin students into the Great Hall and questioned each one under veritserum. Almost three-fifths of the house, including all of the sixth and seventh years, the majority of the fifth year and half the fourth year, was summarily expelled from the school. They were not offered sanctuary in the allied countries, but were instead made to gather their belongings and leave.

In their place, coming in at first a trickle and then a stream, came the residents of Hogsmeade. The harried civilians came either for safety, to leave the country, or to fight. No one remained in the village, though, since they knew it would destroyed regardless of how the residents felt about Voldemort. The castle was easily large enough to house the whole village twice over.

Slowly, the stage was being set for the final battle and everyone knew it. Voldemort did not attack immediately, though. So every day the defenders of Hogwarts trained, practiced their spells and tried to plan for the defense of the castle. The wards were in tatters and would take more power to repair than anyone of those in residence could afford to divert.

Arthur Weasley came by on their third day of liberation, walking quietly among the crowded halls. He smiled, shook hands and on the surface seemed much like a politician. However, where he left, people stood straighter. Smiles were brighter and more hopeful. To the shock of all those who knew him, Arthur Weasley was growing into the leader everyone needed him to be.

Still Voldemort did not come.

More observers arrived, this time from the ICW at large. They met for hours with Arthur and Sirius at Hogwarts. They heard testimony from muggleborns freed from Azkaban. They saw the faces of the rescued children before they were shipped to Australia. The next day, a new team of observers relieved DeVere, White and the first teams.

"Give your son a hug and kiss from us," Ginny said to the Australian lieutenant right before she left.

DeVere let military custom fall to the wayside as she hugged Ginny closely. "And you do the same with yours," she said intensely, before she joined the rest of the original Australian observers in an international portkey. Now that the ICW was actively helping him, Voldemort's efforts to stop international travel was meeting with limited success.

In the place of the original teams came over a hundred ICW Enforcers, international hitwizards whose primary job was to enforce the Statutes of Secrecy even against the wishes of the local governments. In the absence of any international military, the Enforcers also took on odd jobs like overthrowing regional Dark Lords if there was sufficient within the Confederation to do so. All it took to get that support was the documentation of how witches and wizards were treated in Azkaban solely because of the circumstances of their birth. It reminded too many of the long-lived wizards of Grindelwald's actions with the Nazis.

On the sixth day after liberation, Harry and Ginny started taking their turns in a rotating schedule to keep watch from the battlements of the castle. It was a bitterly cold day, but dry as well. The snuggled up together, using their own warmth and warming charms on a blanket to ward off the chill.

Neville joined them halfway through their watch, slightly out of breath from the walk up the stairs. The pudgy little boy from Harry's first year had changed as he got older. Now Neville was as tall as Ron, and a great deal of the baby fat was melting into surprisingly strong features. Moreover, there was a sad knowledge in his eyes and aura that made him seem much older than he was. Harry and Ginny knew that he and Hannah Abbot were close friends. Her death at the beginning of the year was hard. Susan's was even more difficult.

"Anything?" Neville asked.

"Not yet," Harry said. "Just some birds flying up from the forest."

Neville nodded. "Director Black asked to see the two of you in the Great Hall. Go on down, I'll take watch."

"Thanks, Neville."

As always, it amazed them how radically the hall had changed in the past few days. What was once a school cafeteria and gathering room was now an assembly area for an army. Arthur and Sirius had transfigured ordinary clothes into blue robes similar to the ICW Enforcer robes, both to give a unified appearance and to hopefully reduce incidents of friendly fire. The number of robes in the room was astounding.

Sirius saw them enter and went to join them. "Hello, you two. Come with me."

He led them through the hall until they reached a table in a far corner occupied by Arthur, Minerva McGonagall, Jameson Patil, and a leather-faced, rugged old wizard from Brazil named Jorge Richter. He had swarthy skin, blonde hair and bright blue eyes, giving him a mixture of ethnic features that was somehow entirely appropriate for his name.

He watched the two approaching kids with narrowed eyes. "These are the bonded pair?" He spoke in a lyrical accent, much like a Spanish wizard Ginny met once when she was eight.

"Harry and Ginny Potter.'

"Potter. The one spoken of in your prophecy?"

"That's correct," Arthur said.

The old wizard walked to them, then knelt down before them studying their mismatched eyes. "_Si_," he said. "They are like Nicholas and Paranelle. You can taste the magic flowing off them."

"You noticed that, did you?" Sirius said with a grin.

"Harry, Ginny, Jorge here is the Assistant Director of the Brazilian Department of Mysteries and one of the few friends of the Flamels. He is also the commander of the ICW observation team here. He is the foremost expert on Horcruxes in the world, save for Voldemort himself. We have advised him of what happened."

The man looked from Harry to Ginny. "Nicholas, he asked me a favor. He does not fight—does not think it would be fair. But that doesn't mean he does not care. So he calls me and asks if I can help. So I did some reading. There may be a way to save your son," he said. "But it will be hard. Perhaps harder than you can do. But it is the only way."

"We'll do anything," Harry said.

"Anything," Ginny agreed.

"Then let us be quick, for we have little time."

Outside, Neville shivered and cast another warming charm when he spotted a massive flock of birds shoot up from the shelter of the forest. Just moments later, he saw an acromantula scamper to the edge of the forest. Along the battlements of the castle, other students also noticed the car-sized spider and spread the word. A minute later, more spiders appeared, at first by the pairs, then by the dozens, until the entire width of the forest was lined by the monsters.

That's when the students felt the first _thump_ shiver through the castle walls. The thumps continued, increasing in number, while in the distance trees groaned. The spider surged forward by a dozen feet but then stopped, as if making room for the true monsters that came next.

Four giants emerged from the trees, fifty feet of pure muscle and rage. In their midsts came smaller green trolls, who like the giants wielded ugly clubs made of whole trees. By this time, the battlements became crowded with all the people trying to see what they were up against.

The lines moved forward again to make room for another line of hideous monsters of all description, from chimeras to leithefolds. Only then did the army of Voldemort appear, three hundred witches and wizards strong.

Battle was about to begin.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

Severus Snape entered the wards of Malfoy Manor without difficulty this time. Though now low-ranked, his acceptance back into the fold gave him the access he needed. He found the house all but empty. The guards on duty consisted of children, all former students of Snape.

"Professor Snape?" Pansy Parkinson asked when she saw him enter. Of all his snakes, Pansy was the most virulently pro-Voldemort. Her devotion to Draco had more to do with his father's favored status than any true affection. She would have offered herself to the Dark Lord himself, had he not sacrificed his own sex for immortality.

He whipped out his wand and killed the fifteen-year-old girl with a barely uttered killing curse, and then quickly transfigured her into a vase which he placed against the nearest wall.

He encountered only a few more students, killing them all, until he reached the throne room.

Nagini was there, the snake lounged indolently over the back of the throne. And standing beside the throne, grinning madly, stood Fenrir Greyback.

"He knew you would betray him," Greyback said. His sharp teeth caused him to spit his words. "Did you think you could fool the Dark Lord, you worm?"

Snape knew better than to waste his breath. He ran forward, while Fenrir howled and threw a killing curse after killing curse. Snape transfigured the floor into a wall and then reached into the pockets of his robe to remove a ball the size of his fist. He threw the ball over the werewolf's head and then blasted it with a well-aimed curse.

A cloud of silver mist expanded rapidly out from the ball. Fenrir howled in rage and nearly ran up the side of the nearest wall in his rush to escape the vaporized silver. "You'll pay for that," he snarled as he came around the side of Snape's hastily transfigured barrier. The desperate potions professor ducked around the other side, narrowly dodging a vicious entrails-expelling curse. He backed away from the wall while casting a _bombarda maxima_ charm. Fenrir was actually in the process of leaping over the wall when it exploded like a muggle bomb. The man howled in pain as the shrapnel blasted up between his legs, ripping flesh and throwing him up and over. He landed with a thud, clutching his profusely bleeding groin in agony.

"Who is the worm now, you disgusting animal," Snape snarled. He used a cutting curse to separate Greyback's head from his body before he turned to face the snake. Nagini stared at Snape for a moment, its tongue flicking the air, before it struck with inhuman speed.

Snape had only a moment to react before the snake sank its fangs deep into his arm, puming in the venom. Snape had only a moment before the world started to go black, and used it to pronounce a severing curse the animal's head.

The body fell to the floor, writhing. Summoning up his power, Snape shouted, "_Avada Kedavra_!" not at the snake, but the fragment of soul within it.

The snake exploded violently, throwing Snape across the floor. Only his hastily raised shield kept him from vaporizing. He did not get up immediately, but stayed where he was while he brought out the vial of phoenix tears. He poured the whole vial on the snake bite, and watched in relieve as Fawkes' tears pushed the venom out and then closed the wound.

"Bless you, Albus," he muttered to himself. A moment later, after catching his breath, he climbed to his feet. A crater a meter deep and three meters wide filled the spot that used to be Nagini's body.

He turned to seek out his last goal, but stopped to find a wand pointed at his face.

Narcissa Malfoy stood staring at him coldly, while in her left arm she cradled the sleeping form of James Potter. "He knew you were a traitor. You would have to be to let my Draco die."

"What if I told you he was still alive?"

Her wand arm dropped. "Alive?"

Snape brought both his arms up in opposite directions, catching her wrist in the shearing action. She screamed in agony as her wrist snapped loudly. The noise woke James, but still he did not cry. Narcissa backed away, holding her broken wrist to her chest. "Back away, or I'll kill the child!"

Severus summoned the baby, and with only one arm Narcissa could do nothing to stop him. She cried out in rage as James Orion Potter, a baby bearing the names of Snape's most hated enemies, came to rest gently in his arms.

"You bastard!" Narcissa screamed. "You blood, rotting bastard! I hate you! I curse you! I curse the day you were born! Damn your black soul to torment!"

"Yes, I am damned," Snape said. "And so are you. Do you know why he is going to lose, Narcissa? Because he keeps underestimating his enemies, and over estimating his servants. It would never have dawned on him that I could ever beat the dreaded Fenrir Greyback, and he would never have believed I could do this. Good bye, dear Narcissa. Be at peace with your family. _Avada Kedavra._"

She made no effort to dodge the curse, but then again Snape knew she wouldn't. He closed his eyes and swayed in exhaustion. It was almost done.

~~Bonds of Blood~~

~~Bonds of Blood~~

"That's a lot of monsters," Arthur Weasley said in a moment of studied understatement.

"Good thing we have our own then, isn't it?" Sirius said.

Arthur looked at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't' you remember Harry's performance in the first task of the TriWizard Tournament? It turns out that parseltongue is not limited to snakes, but to most of the larger reptiles, especially magical ones. Have you seen Charlie lately?"

Behind Arthur, Jorge Richtor nodded. "I understand the young Weasley's transport requests now. I approved them on faith, but this makes more sense."

Arthur looked down at the line of monsters as the light began to dawn. "You mean…?"

The air trembled before a new series of roars. Every person on or around the castle looked up as a pair of majestic wings cast the tower in shadow, followed by as second, third and fourth pair of wings. Four massive Hungarian Horntails circled the castle like huge carrion birds around carcass. On the ground, the acromantulas scurried about in concern while the giants and trolls stared stupidly. The dark wizards of Voldemort's army, though, looked bothered.

"Do you know why Voldemort is going to lose?" Richter said.

"Why is that?" Sirius asked.

"He is going to lose because he never understood the difference between provocateur and authority," the Germanic Brazilian wizard said. "He was very good at destroying the government, but he was totally unprepared to win. He does not know how to govern, only to destroy. And now that he is the government, he has no choice but to field all his assets. In so doing, he brings himself into the light of day where all can see that he is not unstoppable. That is why this Voldemort of yours is going to lose this day, even if he survives."

The four dragons swept low over the acromantulas and bathed the car-sized spiders in flame. The giants grunted and swung their clubs to no avail. After a second pass, the dragons landed and began to devour the cooked and charred spiders. The giants raised their clubs and charged.

The dragons responded as any apex predator would when something interfered with feeding. The school watched in shock as, one after the other, the dragons attacked the giants with fire, teeth and claws.

Once giant got in a luck blow with a tree-sized club and broke the dragon's skull before it could latch on, but the giant next to him unleashed a hair-raising scream as the next dragon snatched its head forward with snake-like speed and bit out its throat.

The battle held everyone enthralled as dragon tails whipped at trolls while the mighty beasts snapped at the throats of giants who were desperately trying to pull them off, One giant tripped and fell, crushing a chimera in its struggle with the smaller but more vicious dragon. With a huge heave it finally caught the dragon's snapping jaws in its hands and started pulling apart.

The dragon's roars turned to cries of pain before it brought its spiked tail around and slammed it into the giant's eyes. The giant roared and let go, giving the dragon time to lift off and pump a huge bellow of fire right into the giant's face. The fire did not kill the giant, but blinded him enough for the dragon to use its hind claw to rip open its bellow. Giant entrails spilled onto the field, filling all of the grounds with terrible stench.

Nearby, one of the dragons finished off a giant but limped away with an obviously shattered hind leg. It took to the air and flew southeast, hoping to return to its reservation. The last dragon was airborne to escape a huge swing from a club. It whipped its tail around and caught the giant in the face. The giant caught the tail though and yanked hard. The dragon tumbled to the ground, injuring its wing. It turned and pumped fire at the giant until it broke free. It then turned like a feline, bunching its muscles until it jumped forward and latched its teeth around the flaming neck.

A crunch reverberated through the valley and the giant fell.

The two injured dragons turned to the last giant, billowing fire at him until he turned and ran. Voldemort's wizards had no choice but to start volleying spells at the beasts, since every monster Voldermort gathered was dead.

The dragon that could fly finally retreated, flying after the first. The one with the broken wing finally turned away from the irritating wall of magic and bound back to the school, moving to the grounds Charlie Weasley used to hold the dragons until they were needed. Though only Harry and Charlie would ever know, the injured dragon was the same mother Harry spoke to the previous year in the tournament.

Suddenly the field fell silent. The dark wizards stared about the carnage of the monstrous battle with shocked expressions, stunned that so much of their army had been destroyed by just four dragons. The school stood majestically across the field, its pennants flying proudly from the battlements. The defenders had formed up along the main courtyard, hugging whatever cover was available. The commander the "Ministry" forces, Augustus Rookwood, considered his options. The tactical situation completely flipped from what it was supposed to be. But he also knew what happened to cowards. The Dark Lord was attending to other tasks, so this battle was Rookwood's responsibility and his alone. If he ran before at least trying, he would die screaming in unbelievable agony.

So, he did the only thing he could think.

"Attack!" he screamed.


	51. Holly and Elder

**Chapter Fifty-One: Holly and Elder**

Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, Cedric Diggory and most of the other students fifth year and above stood on the ramparts of the castle casting down at the Death Eater army below them.

From their height, the army did not actually look that large. Without the monsters there, it was rather just five groups of sixty wizards and witches in a loose semblance of order marching toward the castle.

The problem is, it didn't look like there were that many defenders either.

So the students cast whatever spells they did best. The sixth and seventh years proved to be more original in their casting. Rather than cast spells, they conjured cannon balls, or in the case of one muggle-born seventh year, ACME anvils.

The cannon balls and anvils proved to be much more deadly than the spells, and so right there in the middle of the battle Dilia Hoppenstance held an impromptu tutoring session to teach everyone how to conjure anvils.

Hermione mastered the spell first, of course. Luna, however, somehow managed to twist the spell around until she conjured an upright piano.

Not to be outdone, Cedric conjured a full sized concert grand piano. The piano made a satisfactory jangling noise as if fell. Most of the Death Eaters got away save one unfortunate soul who, though few would realize it, happened to be a former Slytherin seeker that Cedric played against during his first year on the Hufflepuff team.

Harry and Ginny tried to outdo them all by conjuring a house, but though they had plenty of power, they just didn't have their conjuration down to the same level the others did, so instead it looked as if a massive cannon began shooting larger, ornately decorated dog houses at the enemy.

For a moment in the excitement, the students forgot a battle was going on, until a pair of blasting curses hit the battlements right in front of them. The explosion threw all of them off their feet and left their ears ringing. Harry regained his feet first, and stared in horror at his friends lying in bloody heaps. Ginny rose on her knees beside him, staring in shock.

Cedric rolled on his side as other students rushed to help. Ron groaned, while Hermione lay still. Without conscious thought Harry viewed their auras, and cried out when he saw one body did not have one. He ran to Neville's side and fell to his knees beside the boy who had been a quiet part of his life for the past five years.

It was only as he got closer that he saw the small hole under Neville's chin and the much larger one in the crown of his skull. A piece of shrapnel went all the way through his head, killing him instantly.

Ginny knelt across from Harry, weeping. Nearby, Lavendar brown sobbed. "Is he…?"

"He's gone," Harry said. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded hollow.

Cedric knelt down beside them, bloodied but awake. "The rest will be okay, but we need to get them to Madam Pomfrey."

"We'll take them with the fifth years," Harry said.

"Go on then, we'll keep them busy up here."

By then, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas arrived, staring down at Neville with expressions of disbelief and horror. Slowly the fifth year Gryffindor girls came too. "We need to get Ron, Hermione and Luna to the hospital wing," Harry said. "I'll take Neville."

Without a word, Hermione's roommates levitated her, Ron and Luna off the dusty battlements while Harry and his two other roommates conjured a stretcher to carry their friend. Somehow, it just didn't seem right to levitate him. Another blasting curse struck further down the battlements, but this time the sixth and seventh years were ready and shielded against it, while other students answered in kind. There were no more pianos and doghouses. There were cannonballs and blasting curses instead.

"There's so much blood," Dean stammered as they picked Neville off. Indeed, blood poured from the back of the boy's head.

Seamus looked green, but managed to hold in his stomach as he, Dean and Harry carried their friend down from the battlements. In the castle, townspeople rushed back and fourth through the halls, ferrying potions supplies and weapons as best they could to help. Most were older wizards and witches, since those who remained of age were in uniform fighting.

More than one of the townspeople saw the sad little parade of fifth years and shook their heads. Rosemerta Black, there helping her husband where she could, actually cried and ran over to look at Neville, touching his cheek once. "Oh Merlin," she whispered before someone called her name for potions. "Take care of yourselves, kids. It will be no victory if we lose you."

They reached the hospital wing and found it was already full with men and women in blue robes. One corner had several…bodies lying under black blankets. Madam Pomfrey was just one of several healers and mediwitches. She looked up when she saw them enter and her eyes immediately travelled to Neville. Because of her angle, she saw that the top of the boy's skull cap was gone and paled.

"Take the injured to whatever bed you can find," she said, struggling to maintain professionalism as she went to meet them. "Lads, let's place Mr. Longbottom there, with the other…" Her voice cracked and she could not continue, but Harry understood.

"With the rest of the defenders," he finished for her. Wordlessly, she nodded.

While the others levitated Ron, Hermione and Luna to available beds, doubling up Luna and Hermione on a single bed to save room, Harry and his roommates gently placed Neville on the floor with the deceased fighters. Once again Harry wished he could feel something, anything, but it felt as if his emotions were simply switched off. Through his bond, he could tell that Ginny was just as numb as he was.

They backed away and stared down at their friend for a moment, and it was in that moment they both felt a surge through their bond they never thought to feel again.

They turned to their fellow Gryffs. "We have to go," Harry said.

"Please stay here with the others," Ginny added.

Lavendar, Parvati, Kellah Johnson and Day Dunbar—Hermione's roommates—and Dean and Seamus, all nodded in quiet acceptance. Harry and Ginny both turned and ran out of the room, too scared to even feel hope.

The pulse in their bonds seemed to lead them away from the fighting, which reverberated through the castle as a cacophony of explosions and shouted spell casting, toward the First Year entrance on the other side of the castle. It occurred to them that a small force of Death Eaters could infiltrate the castle from that side, but as they turned a corner they saw that Sirius had accounted for that.

The defenders were townspeople, for the most part. Wizards in their sixties and above, witches of equal age. They turned as Harry and Ginny rounded the corner in their light blue robes and visibly relaxed.

"Scared us you did, kids. Why are you in robes?" The speaker was a man who looked old enough to have spanked Dumbledore as a child.

"That's Harry Potter, you old nitwit," an equally ancient witch said from beside him. "Goodness, Arnold, have your eyes checked."

"What, Peasance?"

"And your ears too, you old fool. Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, any word from the front?"

"The monsters are gone," Harry said.

"Has anyone come this way?" Ginny asked.

"Why, no, not since the fighting started. But we're keeping a close eye, rest assured."

"Not so very close, now, are you?" The hateful, silky voice of Severus Snape caused every one of the older witches and wizards to spin about and point their wand.

Harry and Ginny ignored them when they saw the bundle in his arms. "You did it," Harry finally said.

"I did," Snape said. He walked right through the startled wizards and handled the bundle over. "All debts have been paid, Potter. Paid in blood twice over."

Harry, though, had no words for the hated potions professor. He accepted his son back and he and Ginny stared down into a pair of hazel eyes. But what they saw—perhaps the only thing they saw—was the lightning-shaped scar on the baby's forehead.

"Do you think Richter's way will work?" Ginny whispered.

"It's our only hope."

"Then it's my turn."

"Ginny…." _You can't. I can't. You know that._

_And you think I can? It's the only way, and it has to be one of us. You've taken your turn, now it's mine._

"What's wrong with them?" asked the old wizard named Arnold asked in a shockingly loud voice.

"They are talking," Snape said.

"Aren't you supposed to be one of the bad guys?" the witch named Peasance said.

"Yes, I am," Snape said, though he made no move to lift his wand or threaten him. "I am a terrible excuse for a human being. I have murdered women and children just today. And I would kill every single one of you if it meant Voldemort's death."

"Eh, what did you say?" Arnold asked, a moment before his chest exploded in a shower of gore.

"Arnold!" Peasance said, before she dropped dead in a flash of green light.

Snape, Harry and Ginny all brandished their wands as they saw a nightmare floating in over the water of the First Year's entrance.

Voldemort hovered over the water like an angel of death, employing some type of self-levitating magic none of them could even imagine. His snake-like face was warped in a grimace of rage as he flicked his wand with terrifying speed, picking off the dozen aged defenders as easily as a boy knocking over rocks in a playground.

When the last fell dead, he alit to the stone of the castle itself and glared with blood-red eyes. "And so your betrayal is complete, Severus. I was disheartened to find Fenrir and Narcissa. And Pansy Parkinson. Even killing innocent little girls, Severus?"

"There are no innocents around you, Tom Riddle," Snape said, eyes flashing. He spoke as a man facing his own death as bravely as he could. "You corrupt everything you touch. Even babies."

"True. _Avada Kedavra!_"

The spell was cast almost as a single syllable and the power of the curse was stronger than anything Harry and Ginny had seen before. Snape desperately transfigured the floor into a barricade, which exploded with the force of a bomb.

It bought time for them, though. Harry, Ginny and Snape did not hesitate to turn and run. They were barely able to reach the First Year's antechamber before an unbelievably powerful blasting curse shattered the roof over their heads.

"_Ulciscor_!" Harry and Ginny each yelled, pooling their own great power to employ the dragon warding charm in a way never intended. Just as the charm created a barrier that stopped ten Death Eaters dead in the air, the charm caused the air to compress so tightly it created a near unbreakable physical barrier stronger than any normal _protego_ shield. The barrier caught the rubble and forced it to the side of them, leaving Harry, Ginny and Snape whole and unharmed. Only when Snape cleared the air with a flick of his own wand did they see it also completely blocked them in.

"Ah, your infamous dragon charm," Voldemort said as he walked toward them, clapping slowly. "Are you ready to die now?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Harry declared. "Our son is your last horcrux. If you kill him, you kill yourself."

Voldemort's smile looked chilling. "Foolish child. The horcrux is not linked to his life. It is embedded in his skull. Just like your own scar was burned into your skull. I should have known about you, Harry. The link we shared should have told me you carried a part of my soul in you. And when I killed you, it was my own soul I destroyed. But you see, if I had simply removed your head from your body, the horcrux would have remained. Only you would be dead. So it is with your precious babe. I will not kill you first, Harry. Nor your precious little whore. No, I will kill your baby slowly. I shall carefully cut open his stomach and make you watch as I remove his entrails. I'll force him to stay alive while I do so, just so you can hear his screams…."

Voldemort's words beat again Harry and Ginny like their own little killing curses. The Dark Lord's obvious delight in pain burned like acid, but if he was hoping to elicit terror, he was mistaken. A lifetime of suffering burned into one crystallized moment of pure rage. There was no spell to cast that could capture his anger, and so Harry raised his Elder Wand and simply shouted.

Red eyes widened a moment before Voldemort popped away. The mass of white magic flew by and vaporized a support column over the First Year's entrance, causing the roof to crumble and effectively trapping them all.

The potions master spun about as a soft pop warned him of danger, but he never had a chance. A conjured spear thrust deeply into his gut, and a moment later Voldemort popped away.

Harry and Ginny, recognizing their own danger, each disapparated to separate sides of the room and fired simultaneously at their old spot. Voldemort appeared a split second before the spells hit and ducked with inhuman agility as the blasting curses collided. "Nice try," he snarled. "Now try this!"

The magic that poured out of his wand took the form of a thin circle that quickly shot out across the entire room. Ginny dropped to the floor under it, while Harry, still cradling a strangely quiet James, pushed a banishing charm against the floor that sent him flying over the spell. Around the room, the curse left a uniform gouge in the walls.

In mid-air, Harry send a wordless blasting curse at Voldemort, who disapparated away. Ginny cast a cushioning charm right where Harry landed before banishing the shrapnel at Voldemort new position. The dark lord swept his wand arm and with it the shrapnel into a wall. "Impressive," he snarled. "Perhaps then a change of direction…."

Ginny sent a bone-breaking curse, but Voldemort was so much faster. His killing curse was already en route. Harry raised his wand to summon her out of the path of the curse when her bone-breaking curse and the killing curse struck in mid-air.

In Harry's mind, he heard a voice whisper, _"Aha!"_

Somehow, the two wands formed a single chain of magic—all color drained away before a strand of pure white power that threw sparks to the floor. Through the hallows, Harry heard his old headmaster sat, "_Brother wands, Harry. Remember what Ollivander told you so long ago? Your old wand and Tom's share a common core. Fawkes' own feathers. It is _priori incatatem_, Harry. Ginny must maintain the connection so you can finish it!"_

Suddenly everything became clear. _This is what you always intended, wasn't it? You always intended me to use the Hallows!_

_I hoped, dear boy. I hoped to Magic that you would have opportunity. The Elder Wand is very powerful, but only obeys a master who takes it with violence. I did not know for sure, but I always knew it would be a factor in your battle. Use it now, Harry! Use it now!_

Other voices joined the chorus of Dumbledore. Harry heard his parents calling for him, and a new voice. _"Don't forget me, Harry,_" Neville whispered.

"Never," Harry said, crying now. "Voldemort!"

Evil red eyes turned toward him even while the dark lord's wand remained trapped in the connection with Ginny. He tried to move, but with a cry of determination and pain Ginny held firm, holding him.

Harry raised the Elder Wand and screamed. No curse, no words, just a lifetime of rage. The magic that emerged was as colorless as the stream that kept Voldemort trapped. The Dark Lord shouted his rage until the mass of colorless magic slammed into the middle of his body. With a flash of vapor, his torso disappeared.

Arms, legs and a bald head bearing a surprised expression fell to the floor with fleshy thumps. Ginny collapsed to her knees, drenched in sweat from the effort of maintaining the connection. It was over. The dark lord was dead.

Suddenly James started crying, and it was a cry of pain. Harry looked down and moaned when he saw blood flowing from the baby's scar, and his eyes reddening in the corner. "Ginny!" he screamed.

"Bring him!" Ginny cried.

They met in the middle of the floor and placed the baby down. "Ginny!" Harry said. "Please let me…."

"Not this time." She closed her eyes and placed both hands on their baby's forehead, while Harry leaned back and watched in worry. With his aura sight, he saw her reaching out with their combined soul toward the expanding web of black that was growing like a rapidly spreading cancer on the otherwise pure white soul of their son.

Ginny grasped onto the blackness with all of her might, and the darkness seemed to recognize her. From the depths of her own soul came a memory she had tried her best to forget—a memory of the day she and Harry became one. She pulled at the darkness with her very essence, releasing her memories of possession, and the darkness of Voldermort's last shred of soul saw her as an easier path—like water choosing the path of least resistance.

James' crying lessoned in intensity as the pain left him, but Ginny stiffened and then began thrumming as the darkness began to spread through her. She looked up at Harry, who could feel Voldemort's essence beating now at him through their bond, and said, "Do it, Harry!"

He stood, trembling, as he pointed the wand at her. "_Avada kedavra!"_

Nothing happened, nothing at all. "Harry!" Ginny cried in agony. "Hurry!"

"_Avada Kedavra! AVADA KEDAVRA! _ Ginny, it's not working. I can't!" He cried, terrified. He could not kill her, even to save their soul. "I can't!" he wailed.

A shadow fell over them and Harry looked up to see a sallow-faced Snape swaying on his feat. Blood ran down his chin, and from the wound in his gut pooled at his feet, leaving a trail from where he walked. "For Lily," he muttered. He raised his wand at Ginny, who looked back at him in agony, but also with hope.

"Thank you," she said in a small voice as Snape expended the very last of his life and magic to send the killing curse.

The green flash struck her and sent her slamming into the stone floor, even as Snape himself collapsed backward, already dead after exhausting everything he had left.

Without hesitation, Harry crawled to Ginny and removed the philosopher's stone he carried. He placed it between her breasts even while banishing her clothes. He then quickly stripped himself, knowing that the faster he was, the less pain they would feel. He climbed on top of her body, while inside him her presence began to make itself felt, until the his chest touched the stone as well.

With the contact of the magical stone, it felt as if a doorway opened in his mind. _I love you!_ Ginny's mind whispered to him as her life flowed through him and into the stone. From the stone it gained unbelievable power, tapping into the magical energy stored with the stone's creation, and through the stone it flowed back into Ginny's body.

Blue sparks surrounded her, flashing just under her skin, until one green and one brown eye opened. Almost immediately the need struck, fully as powerful as it did right after Harry's first death. This time, they were ready. As he slipped into her, magic coalesced around them like a throbbing beacon of white light.

Unfortunately, there was no Dumbledore there to shield the room when they consummated. The magical release blew out like a bomb, shattering walls and blasting debris through doors and halls.

They heard voices calling for them as Harry sagged onto her. They did not speak, but rather just stared at each, communicating so deeply not even thoughts were needed. A wandless levitation charm brought their son to their side, and with silent disapparations, the family returned to their room in Hogwarts.

In the silence that followed, two ghosts emerged from the walls. Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of the maddened witch Rowena, and her beloved Baron, floated through the air until they reached the broken, discarded philosopher's stone that saw Ginny's rebirth.

"I feel whole now," Helena whispered. "Seeing them makes me feel hope."

"For me as well, my love."

They reached with translucent fingers toward the stone, and when they touched it, the two ghosts smiled brilliantly at each other as they faded away, moving on at last to a heaven their own guilt would never allow.

The stone itself, exhausting what residual magic it had in the release of the ghosts, crumbled into fine red mist, lost in the debris of the battle.


	52. Happily Ever After

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Happily Ever After**

On December 8th of the year 1995, which happened to fall on a Thursday, Nicholas Flamel settled down in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place to a cup of tea laced with a very nice brandy and watched the family of his protégé in contemplative silence.

Sirius Black had lost his left arm in the Battle of Hogwarts, as it was now known. His new magically charmed prosthetic looked almost perfect, save for a slight aberration in skin color. It was amazing what they were doing now in magical medicine.

Sirius was not the only one in Harry's family to be hurt, either. Arthur Weasley lost both his legs below the knee in the blasting curse that took out the elder Weasley men in one fell blow. Fortunately for Bill, Charlie and the twins, Arthur was the worst. Like Sirius, his prosthetics worked marvelously, so much so that he stood through the ceremony that saw him inducted as the new Minister for Magic.

Sirius resumed his role as head of the DMLE, happy that he had found a new leader worthy to be followed.

The ghost of the Weasley Matriarch was almost palatable to the ancient Alchemist. He had never known her, and yet he could see her spirit in every expression on her family's face.

He then turned his attention to the swelling belly of his protégé's godmother. Rosemerta Black had an expression of contentment on her face—the realization of a dream she had abandoned so long ago she doubted she had it to begin with. She was the matriarch of her own family. Flamel saw in her aura a painful past, and thought it appropriate that the only surviving drops of Malfoy blood would flow forever hidden in the new, improved family of Sirius Black. Though not even Sirius knew, Rosmerta was Lucius Malfoy's older sister, a sister banished for daring to love a muggle while Lucius himself was still but a boy.

There were others there as well—the werewolf and his young mate, herself a Black. His mate's aura was warped by a dark curse during the battle, but she was recovering quickly, which was good given the life beginning to grow within her. Perhaps, Nicholas thought, the new life would help her move past the deaths of her parents. Ted and Andromeda Tonks both chose to fight at Hogwarts, and neither survived.

Nicholas turned his attention to another child there—the girlfriend of the youngest Weasley son, and the secret-keeper for his protégé's deepest truths.

Reading Hermione Granger's aura, Nicholas knew his young charge's secrets were safe. Granger would mature to be quite the formidable witch. Her chosen had no idea what he was in for, but he would enjoy the ride regardless.

Nicholas knew the moment everyone realized he was in the room by the silence that fell. As old as he was, Nicholas was not above a little drama, and enjoyed the way his suddenly appearing made people gape. It was Sirius Black who finally settled at the table near him and said, "Are they going to be okay?"

Nicholas nodded. "It took longer than it should have for Ginevra to conceive, but with the stone they are past the worst of it with no ill effects."

"And James?" Arthur Weasley asked.

"If he were any older, there would be danger," Flamel said. "While his youth made him susceptible to the possession, it also makes him more able to recover from it. He will be fine. Our friend Richter came up with an elegant solution that could only have worked with Harry and Ginny."

Relief caused shoulders to drop all around. "Will you be staying, Master Flamel?" Rosie asked.

"Non, mademoiselle. I have my own wife to return to. My own adventures to have. I came only to help them during this transition. I honestly did not think they would have to go through this for at least a century. But I realize now it was inevitable. You have a remarkable couple in those two. Please remember that."

"We will," Sirius vowed.

Nicholas Flamel finished his tea and brandy, nodded to them, and then disapparated right through the wards as only the most powerful wizard to have ever lived could do.

Upstairs, a young couple lay in each other's arms, dripping sweat and sighing in relief. The magic of their binding finally accepted that Ginny was once again pregnant, and the urge to have sex every other hour had faded.

He looked into her eyes, pleased to see the mixed green and brown, and smiled. "I'm hoping for a girl this time," he said.

"I know it'll be girl," Ginny said. "Ohhh, I'm so sore."

"Me too. Feels like my willy's 'bout to fall off."

"Might as well. I don't want to have sex again for a year."

Harry frowned. "Now let's not go too far," he began.

Ginny smiled—too exhausted by the last three weeks to argue. "Harry?" she asked. "Will you love me forever?"

"Probably," he said. "Or at the very least, a very, very long time."

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

"No one came to his ceremony," Sirius said. "Except me and Remus."

"The two men he hated most," Harry said with a snort.

He and Sirius stood before the plaque of Severus Prince Snape, one of several in the magical Columbarium outside of Hogsmeade. Wizarding funeral rites normally entailed cremation to prevent the body from being used in dark rituals after death. Dumbledore was an exception because of precautions he took during his own life. However, Snape's will clearly espoused his wishes, and so the former potions master and spy was cremated and his ashes were stored behind a simple plaque.

The inscription simply said, SEVERUS PRINCE SNAPE. A MAN OF INFINITE COURAGE. MAY HE FIND FORGIVENESS IN SLEEP HE NEVER FOUND IN LIFE.

"He saved our lives, you know," Harry said. "We couldn't fight Voldemort once he was inside our soul bond. I couldn't kill her because she was a part of me. He would have taken Ginny, and then he would have taken me. Once Ginny opened her soul to his horcrux, we lost all defense against him."

"Why didn't that happen earlier?"

"My mother's protection," Harry explained. "And then at the cemetery, the killing curse he cast at me killed his own soul fragment. It is also why Ginny was able to bring me back as easily as she did. This second time was a lot harder."

"Good thing Jorge called Nicholas," Sirius said.

Harry merely nodded. "I forgive him," he said softly. "Snape, I mean. Ginny and I both. Like Dumbledore said, he was like a dog who had been kicked all his life. We could see it in his aura. The only kindness he ever received in his entire life was from my mother. Was it surprising that he fell in love with her? Was it surprising that his heart broke beyond repair when he lost her to my father?"

"No, I suppose not," Sirius said. "So what now?"

"Now? Now, I take care of my family. We'll take our OWLS this summer and probably take our NEWTs at the end of sixth year so we can graduate early. Then we'll visit Nicholas and Paranelle before we travel. You and Rosie will have a new baby in the house to take care of, and Tonks is going to be delivering in about seven months."

"Yeah, still can't see how she ended up with Remus."

"Their age difference is not much greater than yours and Rosie's."

"Will they make it?"

Harry looked in the distance and said sadly, "No, probably not. Remus is too consumed by guilt to enjoy the relationship. He'll make a good father, but a poor husband. They'll probably divorce before their son reaches Hogwarts."

Sirius nodded, not surprised. "Too bad. So, you'll be going alone?"

"Me and Ginny and the kids," he said. "Why?"

"Well, it seems your friends are feeling a bit left out. You might consider taking them with you."

Harry thought about that. "Hermione does speak French," he mused aloud.

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

"But what if I'm in Slytherin?" James asked for the tenth time just that morning.

Ginny sighed. "Then you'll be the greatest Slytherin to ever get through school," she said without hesitation.

She and Harry stood on Platform 9 ¾ with the other rushing parents to see their son off to Hogwarts. Harry was holding Molly's hand, trying to comfort their daughter who wanted to go so badly.

There was a space around the two that the other parents wouldn't encroach. Word had spread that Harry and Ginevra Potter were seeing their firstborn to school. Minister Weasley let slip that aurors would be on hand for his Grandson's first train ride and reporters would find themselves fined, and so the normal media circus was wonderfully absent. It was September 1st, 2006. James Orion Potter was 11 years old, and he was terrified he would be in Slytherin.

Finally, Harry looked at his son and said, "James, you want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin as well."

James's eyes widened, not with relief or awe, but fear. "So I'm really doomed! But…wait, why didn't it?"

Harry grinned. "Because I asked it not to. And so I went to Gryffindor."

"Oh." And like that, James had a revelation that once and for all stilled his terror at becoming a Slytherin. They saw him off, waving energetically while Molly whined about not being able to go that year.

"Remind you of anyone?" Harry asked his wife.

Ginny smirked back. "Well, she is a red-headed Weasley. What'd you expect?"

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

Harry held Hermione in his arms as the casket rolled into the cremation chamber, while nearby the wizened form of Dean Thomas performed the magical last rites. Around them, the Weasley family wept in silence. Rose Lysander neé Weasley stood beside her husband, near her brother Hugo and their combined five children, ten grandchildren and three newborn great grandchildren. In fact, the ceremony attracted almost a hundred Weasleys, mostly from Fred, George and Bill's lines. Charlie died on the dragon reservation when he was fifty, as single as ever.

Ron Weasley's body disappeared in flame while his family remembered him. "How will I go on?" Hermione asked. She was one hundred and five years old, but didn't look a day past eighty.

"With us, of course," Harry said. On Hermione's other side, Ginny nodded firmly. "We've always been family," she agreed.

Hermione wiped her tears and smiled at them. "Yes, we have, haven't we?"

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

~~Bonds of Bloods~~

"Will you help them?" the ancient wizard asked.

Harry looked at the old man from his rocker on Flamel Island in the Mediterranean. Overhead, he heard a loud boom as an orbital jitney came down to ferry the latest group of travelers to the hanging garden paradise in orbit.

"Tell me again what happened?" Ginny asked. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, while Harry appeared to be in early thirties. Their daughter Luna was around the island somewhere, running wild like she always did.

"We don't know exactly what happened," the headmaster of Hogwarts said. "They came across an ancient artifact, at least four hundred years old. It bore a soul-devouring curse that attacked Miss Grieal most heinously. It was just coincidence that Mr. Hastings was there. Whatever he did saved her, but at terrible cost. They cannot lose contact with each other without great pain, and have admitted to even sharing thoughts. I've only heard of one other couple experiencing anything like that, and then only in the headmaster's sealed library. That's why I came to you. Can you help?"

Harry nodded. "We can. Bring them here, Headmaster. Leave them with us over the summer. We'll do what we can."

The old headmaster, a descendent in fact of Bill Weasley and his wife Fleur Delacour, bowed with gratefulness and left for the boat that would guide him outside the wards. The sun was just starting to set, and they could see the glitter of the orbital platform that housed much of the human population following the wars that erupted when the statutes of secrecy collapsed, and the world learned about magic.

Their wards ensured few bothered them, but they did not live as the complete recluses their teachers did. When the headmaster was gone, they walked through the massive garden and into the manor house.

There they found Luna playing an intricate, impossible-to-follow three dimensional game with her great nieces and nephews, who were near her age, and her great, great, great nieces and nephews from the generations before that. The house was alive with the sounds of laugher and children at play, at least twenty in all.

"Papa!" Harry and Ginny's last child before Luna was already dead at a respectable one hundred and thirty years, but his eldest daughter treated her grandparents as if they were her real parents. The fact she was approaching a century herself and her grandparents looked younger than her own grandkids did nothing to change the relationship.

"Hello, Rosie," Harry said as he hugged his granddaughter. Ginny did the same. They made their way toward the kitchen where their assorted offspring were preparing the massive meal that would feed the many, many members of the Potter Family.

As they settled down to eat, Harry looked at Ginny, and she returned his look. All the fears they had were gone, all the anguish was faded. With their hands joined, they knew they had everything they ever wanted—family.

Finis


End file.
